Fire, Fury, and Flame
by Kidscomix
Summary: Ten years have past since several paranormal incidents have occurred. Now the Shop is under management and tracking superpowered individuals. Sue Snell has escaped from their facility and is looking for the very people with enough power to stop them. Carrie White and Charlie McGee.
1. Chapter 1

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

The footsteps came from the guard's hard leather shoes. It struck the tiled floor, echoed against the white walls, and struck the ground again. Sue Snell listened closely to the noise outside of her room. She felt an odd combination of hatred, loathing, and fear to the point she'd rather listen to the bedsprings of her mattress than the clattering of feet from behind her locked door.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap._

This time the floor vibrated. More feet, more dress shoes or was it boots? She couldn't tell. A gathering of voices slipped through her ears. It wasn't one guard this time but maybe two. Three at most and other strange sounds joining in the conversation. The orderlies. It reminded her of an old joke. _How many people does it take to hold down a defenseless, young girl?_ Not much.

Sue Snell always fought back as hard as she could. With her teeth, her nails, her head if she had to if her arms and legs failed her. She would continue to fight to protect the one person that mattered most.

 _Isabelle._ Her daughter.

Sue blinked at the flickering lights overhead. _For a prison, why can't these assholes do something about the fixtures?_ She thought to herself. The footsteps got even closer. She curled her body into a fetal position, waiting for her captors to administer a sedative to keep her docile before taking her away from the white room.

A jangle of keys got her attention. The lock of the metal door clicked, let out a creaking sound, as four large figures shuffled in. Sue counted four men. Big and burly, uniformed and just as ugly as their employed positions. Two were armed security guards while the other pair donned orderly scrubs and held a straightjacket and a syringe in their hands.

"Hold her down." One of the orderlies instructed.

Sue flipped off the bed and kicked at the first security guard's privates. He went down hollering in pain. "Bitch!" Undeterred, the second guard advanced. Raising a fist, Sue attempt a blow to his face but her opponent was much quicker. She missed a punch, leaving her enemy to grab hold of her wrist, wrenched it tight and brought her knees down. She screamed in anguish.

Her cries went unheard as the first security guard soon recovered and struck her on the back of her legs with his wooden baton. Sue cried out as she fell on the cold, tile floor, struggling against her attackers as best as she could. A shadow covered her face.

It came from one of the orderlies who removed the cap off the syringe. "Shh," he pressed a finger to his lips. "It'll all be over soon."

Sue screamed, protested but neither the security guards nor the other orderlies responded to her pleas. In fact, the other accomplice holding the straightjacket, helped lift the sleeve up from her hospital gown to allow his partner to prepare for the injection.

"This one is a fighter!" The first security guard laughed as he tightened a hold on one of her arms. His knee kneaded pressure on to her back in a form of revenge for kicking him earlier. Sue struggled but gradually her body submitted to fatigue. Even with all the perspiration beading down her forehead, her will to fight back, she was no match for the four assailants that held her down.

Helplessly, she watched as the point of the syringe's needle inched closer to her skin.

"NO!" She hollered.

It was a futile effort.

Suddenly, a shrill wail resonated in the room. Sue felt the grip of both her arms being released. She glanced up to see all four bodies flying across in different directions hitting each of the white walls and making cracks against the concrete. Her eyes scanned toward the open doorway as a pair of figures entered. A sigh of relief overcame her as she recognized them instantly.

The first was a blond boy of eight in a blue Canadian hockey jersey and jeans. Cody Cox had this ability to create deadly sonic frequencies with his voice. A gift that Sue appreciated at this moment. Disoriented from the attack, the second guard tried to recover his senses and reached for his pistol. He raised it toward Cody. She gasped. The gun shook for a moment in his hand as it flew out of reach and smashed against the concrete wall behind him.

Such an invisible force was familiar with Sue. From behind Coy stood an African American boy of thirteen in a t-shirt and basketball shorts with a telekinetic power quite like one she had witnessed before. Devonne Maxon displayed a dangerous grin while making a hand movement, slammed two of the security guards and their heads together, creating a splatter of blood against the wall. Sue covered her mouth in disgust. However, Devonne wasn't done yet. He lifted the two orderlies, who by now let go of the straightjacket and syringe, off the ground and dropped them, letting their heads split open against the hard linoleum.

Horrified, Sue crawled to the corner of the room to vomit.

"I'm sorry, Miss Snell," said Devonne calmly. "It had to be done."

Sue finished and wiped her mouth. "You didn't have to kill them!" She shouted angrily.

Her words did little to faze the two boys. Devonne tore a piece of fabric off the scrubs of one of the dead orderlies and handed it to her. "It's either them or us," he stated. "It's war! They're the evil ones!"

She forced herself to agree. Her mouth spat up the last chunks of her regurgitation so she can raise herself off the floor. Cody grabbed her hand to lead her out into the hallway.

"We don't have much time," Cody stated. "We have only fifteen minutes to get you out of here." He pulled her down the hallway, along with Devonne in tow. Her bare feet made a slapping noise each time she sped through the corridor.

Midway, she stopped. "I can't leave! Not without my daughter!"

Devonne rolled his eyes and clucked his tongue. "You won't be able to save her if you're trapped here!" He pushed his point. "Izzy will be fine! Our goal right now is to get you out of here!" He took her hand. She refused to move.

"No!" Sue snapped. "I won't leave without her!" A splitting migraine squeezed her forehead. It had a vicelike grip that caused both her fingers to push into her temples. She shut her eyes, hoping the pain would subside. It eventually did but not without something else to replace it with. An image, a moving photograph appeared in front of her. She blinked for a moment to see flashes of memories playing out in her mind like a movie projector. The first scene came on. It was Izzy. Her ten-year-old daughter strapped down to a bed with a slew of wires and electrodes attached to her skin and face. A group of doctors rotated around her like a merry-go-round, jotting down notes as if she were an animal being watched and observed. Sue screamed her name. No answer.

The scene changed again but this time it was an empty room much like the one she been imprisoned in but this time there were no security guards or orderlies coming in to assault her. Instead, a certain peace and calmness filled the room, allowing Sue to inhale a breath for once without worrying about her enemies finding her. She rotated, attempting to get her bearings, before she noticed a dark-haired girl with curls standing in front of her.

Ten-year old Isabelle "Izzy" Carrieta Snell wore a long hospital nightgown and shot her mother a serious look. Instantly, tears filled Sue's eyes. She ran to embrace her daughter. To her surprise, she only hugged air. Confused, Sue's mouth dropped as she turned to Izzy.

"What's happening? What's going on?" She asked the will-o'-the-wisp.

"Mommy, it's me," Izzy frowned. "It's this thing I can do. A psychic illusion. It's like I can enter people's heads and their dreams."

Sue remained unimpressed. "Honey, I don't care about any of that." She knew about her daughter's gifts but to what extent she didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted hold her daughter close right now and not let her go. "Tell me where you are!" She demanded.

The ghostly Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. The Shop is keeping me somewhere secret. They need to know more about the stuff I can do." She looked at her mother more intently. "That is why I'm asking my friends to help me! You need to get out of here and go find help!"

Her mother shook her head. "No, Izzy! I'm not leaving you here!"

Izzy twisted her mouth. "Please, Mommy! You're the only one that can help stop them! Don't worry, they won't hurt me! My power is too important!"

Frustrated, Sue folded her arms. "How can I help you? How can I help any of you?" She referred to the other captive children inside the facility.

"Look for your old friend," Izzy smiled. "Carrie White."

"Carrie White?" Sue gasped. "But…but she's dead!"

Izzy shook her head. "No, Mommy. She's alive. She is hiding out with a friend who also has powers like us! Find them so they can stop these bad people! They can save us!"

Unsure of what to make of this revelation, Sue hesitated. "But how will I find them? I don't know where Carrie is!"

Her daughter's face turned pale. "Mommy, the bad people know what I'm doing!" She pleaded to her mother. "Run away and find her! Go!"

"Izzy!" Sue's voice stammered. She listened to her daughter's voice scream and everything faded to black. Someone tugged at the fabric of her hospital gown. She opened her eyes. It was Cody.

"We have to go!" Cody told her. He yanked her hand and followed Devonne through the hallway. It took them only few minutes before they heard the large stomping of feet heading across corner ready to cross the double doors at any second.

"They're coming!" Cody exclaimed. "We have to get you out of here!" Without warning, the lights shut off and Sue felt the boys push her through a secret door of the corridor.

Another tunnel appeared but this one was completely black except for a row of dim lights hanging at the top of the ceiling. Sue was dragged away.

"What is happening?" She asked her young rescuers.

Devonne spoke up. "That is Andy. He can control electronics. He's causing a blackout so you get escape. We got fifteen minutes to get through the fence before the guards find us."

Sue understood and allowed the two boys to lead the way. Concrete walls and cold, slabs of stone met them at every turn as they continued to dash through a series of mazes that seem to go nowhere. Finally, through the dimly lit hall, she noticed a metal door at the end of their path. Devonne opened it with ease until all three of them were let outside into the darkness.

Even in all the blackness, a row of stars and crescent moon could be seen into the horizon. Yet, admiring the landscape was not on their list priorities right now. Escaping was. They ran toward a dirt field until they reached a chain link fence. A small hole had been cut into it allowing someone small to crawl through. Devonne pulled back the metal back and ordered Sue through.

"Hurry, Miss Snell!" He said. "The time is almost up!"

Sue nodded, squatted down, and rapidly crawled on her hands and knees to the other side of the barrier. She lifted herself up from the dirt when she heard barking coming from the distance.

Cody gulped. "They're here!"

As soon as he said that, the lights outside of the building came back on. A siren screeched all around the compound as the sounds of barking dogs and shouting guards filled the establishment. The fence suddenly crackled and popped with a series of sparks that forced Sue and the boys to jump away from it. The barrier now had become electrified.

Devonne nodded to Sue. "Head half a mile west from here! A van will be waiting for you!"

Sue hesitated. "What about you two?"

Cody saluted her. "It's been a pleasure saving you, Mam!"

Sue's mouth dropped. She began to protest but Devonne stopped her. "GO!" He screamed.

Tears welled in her eyes as she ran toward the rural field in the dead of night. The barking dogs got louder. The guards got more aggressive but she ignored all that and pressed on. She got halfway inside the wooded area when she heard the shrill cry of a scream that meant certain death. _Cody._ A pause. Then a gunshot. And another. _Devonne._ She wept and pushed herself forward. She had a mission to carry out and so help her, she was going to make sure she determined to complete it.

It seemed like forever but with her feet scraped and cut from the jagged, dirt rocks and twigs to the heavy foliage she had to fight through, she pressed on until she saw what appeared to be a large, black vehicle hiding near an abandoned road. Even under the moonlight, she knew that such a thing seemed out of place in the middle of the night. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she proceeded with caution. She wasn't sure if this person was a friend or foe. She hid behind a tree nearby before making a judgment call.

Seventeen year old Jane Delano got out of her van and glanced at her watch. _Damn. This better be well-worth it._ She knew what she was doing was crazy but this insane mission gave her sense of purpose. This was for her best friend. This was for all the boys and girls who were being treated as freaks and outcasts. This was for everyone who had been treated unjustly in the world.

She pulled open the car door and let herself out. Jane figured if she was going to be on stakeout, she might as well look the part. Dressed in a black skirt, gray striped leggings, and sporting a black Ramones t-shirt and leather jacket, she pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and lit up _. How long was this rescue/pick-up going to take?_ She wondered. _I'm missing an episode of Stranger Things._ Her vintage Doc Martens kicked at the dirt and she took another drag.

From her tree, Sue observed the young woman. _A teenager? The children send me a teenager as my getaway driver?_ She wondered if the kids were wrong. Her foot back away for a moment before she realized she snapped a twig nearby. _Oh shit!_

Jane reacted quickly. Flicking her cigarette, she pulled a flashlight, small bottle of mace, and aimed it at the direction of the sound. "Whoever you are! I'm warning you! I've got mace and I'm not afraid to use it!" Sue raised both her arms and moved from her hiding spot toward the light.

"Don't shoot!" She begged. "I'm unarmed!"

Jane squinted in the darkness. "Sue? Sue Snell?"

Sue nodded. "Are you here to rescue me?" She slowly put her arms down.

"Yeah, I guess." Jane stated. She lowered her mace and flashlight to open the passenger side of the van. "We better hurry. The Shop must realize you're missing by now. They'll be send their watchdogs after us. I know a safehouse an hour away from here."

"How do you know about The Shop?" Sue asked as she got inside the vehicle.

"It's a long story," said her companion as she got into the passenger's side. Within seconds, Jane peeled down the dirt road until they got on to the main highway. Once on the freeway, they made the safe drive toward their next destination.

All Sue Snell could do now was to nap. It had been a long day.

Sue woke up from her slumber to see her driver no longer on the freeway. As promised by Jane, the pair made it to a secluded country area an hour away from the facility. She drove toward a gorgeous lake house with a dock and a small motorboat parked at the pier. Sue stared at the home. It certainly could've been something that would have been featured on Architectural Digest. Still, she was shocked by enormity of the place.

"You live here?" She asked Jane as she got out of the van.

"Nope." The teenage girl replied. "My aunt owns it. She lets me borrow it from time to time." She opened the front door to let Sue in.

Sue scratched her head. "So, you're rich?" She paused at her rude faux pas.

"Nope again," Jane said bluntly. "My parents are rich. I'm just a product of their madness."

Sue walked into the foyer to see set of stairs leading to a few rooms upstairs, a kitchen up ahead to the left, and a family room to the right. She wondered if she had wiped her feet before coming in.

Jane moved past her. "Go head and freshen up. You can take any of the guestrooms upstairs. My aunt has plenty of clothes that she only wears once and donates them to charity." She glanced at Sue's dirty hospital attire. "You're welcome to them. I'm sure you might want to change out of what you have on."

Sue got the hint. "Thanks." She headed upstairs to find the nearest bathroom to shower. She found one just down the hall from the master suite and stripped off her clothes to clean herself. The water was amazing. It had been a long time since she was able to shower without a female guard watching over her. And the fact that she could only do it a few days a week made her cringe. Being alone for once in a bathroom felt like heaven.

She spent another ten minutes playing with the fancy shampoos, soaps, and body washes Jane's aunt stocked before getting out of the shower to dry off. Wrapping a towel herself, she found a first-aid kit inside the medicine cabinet and tended to the cuts and scrapes on her bare feet before blow drying the wet dark curls of her hair. Sue stared at the mirror for moment and sighed. She couldn't believe at twenty-eight that she had become a full-time mother but she was. It became her lot in life when she discovered she was pregnant at seventeen after the death of Izzy's father, Tommy Ross, at the infamous Black Prom.

Since then, she became a doting mother, protecting her daughter from the dangers of this world. Until now.

Sue walked to one of the guestrooms and opened the closet door. Rows upon rows of clothes hung, nearly untouched and in pristine condition. She pulled a pair of sweatpants and matching t-shirt out before gasping at the labels. _Gucci! Dior! Chanel!_ No wonder Jane mentioned the whole one-time wear thing. Shrugging at the idea, she put on the clothes. Sue returned to closet to find a pair of Coach tennis shoes, luckily size 7, that fit her feet as she grabbed some clean underwear and socks from a nearby bureau.

From the kitchen, Jane caught Sue coming down the stairs looking normal and pretty than the horrible hospital garb which she was forced to wear. Sue's brunette curls had been pulled back into a ponytail and her slender figure accentuated her aunt's designer clothes to a tee. _Skinny bitch._ Jane thought to herself. _Figures I'd get the one person who was probably the popular girl in high school._

Sue let out a small smile as she sat at the kitchen counter and watched as Jane placed two small trays of food and some bottled water on the table.

"Microwave pizzas." Jane announced. "I don't cook but it's the best I can do."

Sue nodded. "Thanks again," she started. "For everything. For helping me."

"Don't mention it." Jane replied flatly. She took a bite of her processed pizza. "It's what I'm supposed to do." Sue examined her companion closely. Despite the alternative clothes, goth make-up, nose ring, crazy striped purple hair, or even the fact that she was plus-sized, Jane Delano was a really, pretty girl. Sue majored in Psychology and became a school counselor. Sue knew that appearance-wise, Jane had been masking some inner pain. She knew her students well enough to know when they were hurting.

"So, what is the deal with your parents?" Sue asked directly. "Are they in the picture?"

Jane paused. "Why do you say that?" She shoved a piece of pizza into her mouth.

Sue grinned and shrugged. "Just making conversation. I mean you have all the financial advantages for a teen your age but, obviously, your parents or guardians are not concerned that you're chasing after some secret government organization that kidnaps and imprisons innocent people."

Jane's eyes rolled. "All right." Her tongue clucked. "Let me give you the edited version of my life. Both parents are rich. Married each other as part of a business merger. Had me as a consolidation prize. Agreed to not see each other as part of their financial arrangement unless obligated once a year. Was raised by my Russian nanny who loved me until she was given the pink slip because I was too old. Was named a multi-million-dollar trust fund baby to claim my fortune when I reach twenty-one. That pretty much sums it up. Any other questions?" She asked defensively.

"How do you know about the Shop?" asked Sue.

Jane inhaled. "Look, I don't have very many friends. And the friends that spend time with me, only do it because of my namesake. I met my best friend Jennifer at the private school back in West Virginia. She was a scholarship student who worked on the campus but came from a poor background deep in the rural area of the state. Our classmates were cruel to her but she managed to rise above it and maintain a 4.0 GPA. She was on her way to become valedictorian of our school, which made everyone jealous."

"Including her peers that were bullying her." Sue added. "I know how cruel kids can be." Her thoughts drifted back to Carrie White and the notorious Black Prom.

"Exactly," said Jane. "To teach her a lesson, one of the Queen Bees, Sandra Tremayne, arranged for her cronies to kidnap her as part of some bizarre nighttime, hazing ritual. They tied her up to a pole in the middle of an open field, began bullying, torturing her, and threatened her with their cars as they drove around her to scare her. Then things really got bizarre."

Listening intently, Sue leaned in. "In what way?"

She hesitated, then told the rest of the story. "I got to the site too late. I heard from some of the girls what they were planning to do to Jennifer so I went down to make sure nothing bad happened to her. I get there and, suddenly, these snakes appeared out of nowhere. It's like they were conjured out of magic. Before you know it, Sandra and her goons are getting bitten, cars are being flipped over, and kids are being sent to the ER for venom bites and other strange afflictions." Jane sighed. "Jennifer finally told me the true nature of her power and I made sure that I never told a soul about what I had just witnessed."

"That still doesn't explain how you know about the Shop," Sue pointed out

"I'm getting to that," replied Jane. "After the incident, things returned to normal at the school. Nobody suspected a thing. Then winter break rolls around and we get four weeks off. I return to school only to find that Jennifer mysteriously dropped out."

"But students drop out of school all the time," Sue noted. "It happens in high school, college…"

Jane stood up. "But not if you have full-ride scholarship and you've been named Valedictorian!" Her voice sounded exasperated. "None of that makes any sense so I did some digging." Sue cocked her head in curiosity. The goth girl left the kitchen for a moment only to return with a laptop. She clicked on the screen and opened a strange file menu. "My parents were stupid not do background checks on their employees. My nanny was a former KGB spy before she defected to the U. S. She taught me everything about hacking computer systems and covering my tracks. The last I heard, she is working undercover with the Pentagon!" She giggled at her remark as she pulled up the file. "Before Jennifer disappeared, I use to hack a lot into my parents' personal files from their cellphone records to the secretive Swiss bank accounts they had been funneling money into. I know the names and social security numbers of their lovers and mistresses, including if they are involved with anything illegal."

Instantly, Sue put two and two together. "And this is how you found out about the Shop?"

"By accident," Jane defended. "I hacked into some strange government files and discovered websites along the Deep Web that mentioned the Shop and their motives. Unfortunately, much of it is encrypted and I don't have enough decoding experience to break into the files. However, I did discover that the Shop created the Lot 6 drug which gave patients paranormal and superhuman abilities that got passed along to their offspring. The purpose was to…"

"Weaponize these individuals for their own nefarious purposes," Sue finished the conversation. "My daughter included." Jane stared at her intently as she took an interest. Sue continued. "Izzy's father, Tommy, I had learned carried the genetic code of Lot 6 but didn't display any special abilities. He got the gene from his father who participated in the Lot 6 experiments but also showed no signs of powers. It skipped two generations and it got passed on to Izzy."

Jane closed her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "So, what is your Izzy's abilities?"

"Clairvoyance and precognitive talents," Sue remarked proudly. As if having these powers were something to be proud of when it is more likely a curse. "She began displaying these abilities at age four with nightmares concerning our neighbors or of people we know who would die in some unforeseen circumstances. Then there are the voices she began hearing of people's thoughts. I tried my best to teach her to suppress them but eventually her powers kept growing. I feared for the day when her safety would be compromised.

"The Shop finally found her."

Once again tears streaked down Sue's face. "Six months ago, the Shop came and arrested us. I thought we were safe, that we fell under the radar but somehow, they found us. They locked me in that facility and experimented on Lizzy. I just prayed each day that she didn't experience any pain."

Jane reached out and placed her hand over Sue's. "That's what I said when I discovered they had Jennifer. I tried to pull up the full file but they blocked most of it. All I could get was a teenage girl who had a power over snakes being admitted. Then I began receiving strange chat messages from a boy named Andy.

Sue's eyes widened. "Andy is a kid who has this power over electronics."

Jane's brain lit up. "That explains why he is able to secretly contact me. Within the last year, he gave me everything I needed to know about the Shop. What they were doing. What their agenda was. Information about Lot 6 and an underground network of powered individuals who are in hiding!" She exhaled. "I decided to look for Jennifer full time. I dropped out of school, put on the goth clothes, and began assisting Andy with whatever information he needed. He told me about you and your daughter's capture. I could help in the fight against the Shop by first setting you free."

Sue put a hand to her temple. "But you couldn't help save my daughter? How is that going to help in this fight?"

Jane's fingers typed something on the laptop. "Andy gave me the coordinates of where you'd be when he orchestrated your escape. He told me that I needed to look for Lot 6's most powerful beings. Only then can they help us takedown the Shop. Only then, do we have a chance to put an end to this and save everyone. He told me to help Sue find Carrie White."

To her disbelief, Sue shook her head. "I keep hearing her name but I assure you Carrie White is dead. She used her powers to make her house collapse on top of her. There is no way she survived that."

"But she did," Jane responded. She spun her laptop around to show various photographs from across the United States. Taken from security footage and zoomed in to display the face, Sue stared at each picture and recognized the subject of each one. It was Carrie White. Sure, she had lost a lot of weight but there was no mistaking the natural beauty and innocent brown eyes that she sported. Even with different hairstyles of various colors, it was Carrie White on full display in each photograph.

Sue was speechless. What Izzy said was true. Carrie White did live on the night of the Black Prom.

"That's not all," Jane added. "The person who is hiding with her is another Lot 6 powerhouse."

"Who?"

"Charlie McGee."


	2. Chapter 2

_Fort Lindell_

 _Salem, Oregon_

"Don't you have _Where There is No One_ yet?"

The man dubbed Mr. Loudmouth by the bookstore staff rudely clucked his tongue and did an eye roll. Carrie hated the fact he was a regular but he was a paying customer and even the jerkiest of people do add a little to her paycheck. She remained cool and professional behind the counter.

"Let me check if we have a copy," she replied with fake smile. She tapped the title on to the search engine of her computer screen. Meanwhile, Mr. Loudmouth fixated his gaze on her breasts. Her _dirty pillows_ Momma referred to them as. _And Eve loosed the raven upon the world. And that Raven was called sin._ It was one of many Biblical Verses Momma corrupted to pervert some sense of control over her. Now Momma was dead and Carrie was free to be her own person.

She dyed her hair multiple times. She wore tight fitting clothes. And she experimented with different looks that would have made Momma label her as _Jezebel's child_. Yes, Carrieta White had change in her twenty-eight years of being on this Earth and she was not going to stop now.

"HAVE YOU FOUND IT ALREADY?"

Mr. Loudmouth was getting even more impatient. Carrie glared at the short, fat, balding man in glasses and a weird stain on his polyester pants. Part of her wanted to reach into her mind, push out her anger, and fling the poor excuse for a human being across the room and maybe through one of the front glass windows. However, that would mean exposing herself and bringing unwanted attention to her location. The Shop would find her in a heartbeat and lock her away. She did not want that. She had to keep her anger in check. For now.

The computer finally yielded some results.

" _Where There is No One: Revisiting Maine's Tragic Black Prom."_ She read. Carrie swallowed hard. She had thought she had buried that part of her past. Apparently not. A new book was being released claiming new details concerning the infamous tragedy. She could not escape it. Carrie held her composure. "It looks like it's not being released until next month." She told Mr. Loudmouth. "Would you like us to pre-order it?"

Mr. Loudmouth shook his head in disapproval. "Damn, bookstores!" He snapped. "You never have things when I need them!" He slammed his stack of books for purchase on the counter. "Never mind! I'll take these!"

Carrie sighed. She began ringing up his collection of conservative, political literature and placed them inside his shopping bag before her eyes caught something among the stacks. _Blue Nights in the City_. A New York Times bestselling memoir about a Wall Street executive who moonlights as a dominatrix prostitute among the rich and powerful. Carrie had read it for fits and giggles but she had to stop because the book was so poorly written that it made Danielle Steele look like a Pulitzer Prize winner. The reviews were so bad that it became an easy target to be ridiculed, except for the lonely, bored housewives who ate the novel up with a spoon and helped it sell millions for its publishing house. Carrie held her laughter inside as she finished ringing up Mr. Loudmouth's purchases.

"GIVE ME THAT!" Mr. Loudmouth snatched the embarrassing book from her hand. "QUIT BEING A STUPID BITCH AND RING UP MY SHIT!"

That did it. Her eyes saw red. She just needed a small incentive to push her power. No more hiding. No more pretending. She stared at the man. What would she do? Throw him up onto the ceiling like a ragdoll or maybe make the inside of his head explode? Well, she never tried doing that before but there is always a first time…

Someone tall tapped Mr. Loudmouth on the shoulder. He quickly turned around. "What the hell do you want?"

The tall man twisted his hands around the balding man's shirt and pulled him toward him, until they were touching noses. Mr. Loudmouth quivered while his assailant bellowed.

"PAY YOUR SHIT AND LEAVE!" The tall man shouted.

"Okay…okay…" Mr. Loudmouth whimpered. The tall man released him.

Carrie finished the transaction just as Mr. Loudmouth scrambled for his shopping bag and jetted to the entrance of the bookstore. Still, Carrie wanted to get the last word in. Mischievously, she concentrated on Loudmouth's belt buckle, button, and zipper of his pants and suddenly undid them. It took only a few second before the man had his stained, polyester trousers around his ankles while exposing all the patrons and employees to his gross tightey-whiteys.

Embarrassed and humiliated, Loudmouth pulled up his pants and ran out the door with his books in tow. The other people inside the store laughed at the spectacle before returning to their business. Carrie smiled and watched as her knight in shining armor moved up to her counter.

"Thanks," she grinned. Her face looked up to get a better look at her hero. Her knight certainly was handsome with blue eyes and brown, wavy hair, not as light as her old crush Tommy Ross, but enough to compliment his dimples and square jaw. He had a nice physique, broad shoulders and muscular arms, from the way the long sleeve gray t-shirt fit him perfectly to the manner of the blue denim jeans that he wore that molded his lower half. Carrie blushed with embarrassment at the sight of his beauty and attempted to hold her composure.

The tall stranger smirked. "Don't mention it. I just hate when people are bullies to other people." _Don't I know it._ Carrie thought to herself. Back at Ewan High school in Chamberlain, Maine, she was the constant scapegoat and object of bullying at her alma mater. She had first-hand knowledge of what it was like to be picked on. The knight put his book on the counter. Carrie read the title. _How to Make Friends and Serve as an Inspiration to Others._

Carrie snickered. "I have trouble believing that you can't make any friends." She rang up his purchase.

His arms rested on her counter. "I'm a busy guy." He smiled. "It's hard for me to keep them." His voice purred. He studied the mysterious girl behind the counter ringing up his transaction. She was certainly pretty. Okay, unconventionally beautiful, not exotic, but exuded a certain type of enigmatic charm that he found alluring in women. Crimson red hair fell to her shoulders and her hypnotic, dark eyes accentuated the tiny freckles on her face and milky, cream skin. She wore a short, yellow, floral sundress with spaghetti straps underneath a white cardigan, which showed just enough of her cleavage to tease the boys but it was the small gold cross around her neck that made her even more appealing as she gave off an attractive "good girl" vibe.

Blushed with embarrassment, Carrie held herself together and finished the sale. "$15, please." He handed her a twenty. She opened her register and handed him his change. "You're new, here?" She found the courage to ask him.

He picked up his book and stood up. "How can you tell?" He wondered.

"I usually know our regulars." She stated. "I haven't see you at Covers." She was referring to the corporate bookstore she was working at.

"I just moved here from the east coast," he explained. "I got the position as a new professor at the local university."

"Angellus-Gabri University?" Carrie asked, referring to the main college at Fort Lindell. Since moving to this college town near Salem, Oregon, she had kept up with the long history of this prestigious school of higher education. She even considered taking some classes there herself. "What do you teach?" She asked the professor.

"Science," he answered. "Particularly bio-chemistry and organic physics. As strange as it seems, there appears to be this direct correlation between the three sciences biology, chemistry, and physics. They tend to overlap."

Carrie nodded her head and feigned interest. "That's good to know." She tried to finish the conversation. "Hopefully, we'll see you back here in the bookstore."

The professor extended his hand. "Absolutely. I hope to see you around town. Miss…?"

She accepted his hand and shook it. "Francine." It was the false identity she currently forged for herself in this place. "Francine Berkowtiz."

"Please to meet you, Francine," he replied. "The name is Paul. Professor Paul Sandza." He corrected. His fingers released hers and shot her a smile. "Hopefully, real soon." His voice purred again like soft butter. Picking up his book, Paul spun around and exited through the main entrance. Carrie blushed the moment he left. She could not believe her own confidence in flirting. She never flirted. It was not in her nature but then again, many things weren't. She gave herself a pat on the back.

"Franny and her boyfriend…." her coworker Rhonda sang as she got behind the counter with her. "Sittin' in a tree…" A twenty-one-year-old African American graduate student at Angellus-Gabri, she trained the same time as Carrie when the two of them became employed at Covers.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She joined Rhonda in unison. The two women stopped and broke into laughter. Since working a year together, the two remained really, close friends on the job.

Rhonda curled her mouth in response and folded her arms. "Don't tell me you were picking up Mr. Mc-Hottie a few minutes ago?"

Carrie snorted. "Nothing happened. He's just being nice." She defended.

"Mm-hmm," Rhonda's eyebrow raised.

"Nothing!" She emphasized.

"You did tell him, you're taken?"

She hesitated. "Well…"

"Franny!" Rhonda gasped.

"It didn't come up," said Carrie.

"Franny! You're in a relationship!"

"I know."

"With a woman!"

Carrie shrugged. "Yeah."

"What would your girlfriend, Liz, say?" Rhonda asked.

Liz Harrington had been the false alias Carrie's girlfriend and companion, Charlie McGee, was using in Fort Lindell. So far, none of the residents knew their real identities.

"She'd say that it's okay to look but not touch," Carrie answered her worker bestie.

"Mm-hmm."

She hated it when Rhonda made that remark. Instead, she shrugged and debated her actions.

"Look, Liz and I have an understanding," she explained. "I mean we've both dated men in the past." That was partly true. Charlie had a colorful history when it came to dating the opposite sex, but Carrie, well, she did get to dance with Tommy Ross at her prom, the only other person that she ever dated in her lifetime. Emphasis on the ever part. "We're not perfect but we're both loyal and monogamous to one another. That doesn't mean we're looking elsewhere or thinking about cheating."

That seemed to appease Rhonda. "As long as my two good friends aren't going to break up over this, I guess I could trust you being around other strange men of the male species."

Carrie clucked her tongue. "Thanks." Her voice gave off a sarcastic tone. "It's good to know that you always have my back."

"I'm just kidding!" Rhonda giggled. "Now lighten up!" She gave the girl a hug. "All this weird talk is making me hungry. How about lunch at the new café across the street? My treat."

"You're on!" Carrie laughed. "I'm going to order the most expensive thing on the menu as a sign of revenge!" She joked.

"An $8 sandwich and soup?" Rhonda snickered. "Gee, I'm filing bankruptcy right now!"

Carrie scowled. "Oh hush. Come on, I'm starving."

The two women notified their coworkers they were going out to lunch together, leaving a line of people coming up to the register waiting to be rung up. Carrie stared back at the counter before exiting the store with Rhonda. _Thank God, I'm not dealing with any more difficult customers right now._ She thought to herself. She could not wait until her shift was over.

* * *

 _Juniper Blossom Café_

Lunch was delicious. Rhonda went with a basic chicken Caesar salad while Carrie opted for a small club sandwich and tomato soup.

"Hey, Franny," her best friend addressed her. "Rainbows is doing a lesbian night this weekend. You and Liz should come."

Rainbows was the hottest gay bar in town. Whenever Fort Lindell hosted their annual pride week, the nightclub was always front and center.

"I don't know," Carrie paused. "Liz and I are pretty much homebodies. We're not the partying types."

Charlie was the more outgoing one. Bars and clubs were more her thing. Carrie tried a few with Charlie in the previous cities they lived at and discovered it was not for her.

Rhonda was not having it. "Oh, come on! It's going to be fun! A girls' night out!"

Carrie shrugged. "I'll ask her."

"Good." Rhonda smiled. "We're going to party like it's New Year's Eve!"

Carrie rolled her eyes. "We'll see."

"No, it's going to be fun," she reassured her. "You'll see." A ring vibrated on her phone. "Damn."

"What is it?" Carrie asked as she sipped her water glass.

"My parents," Rhonda replied. "They want to come visit at the end month. They're texting me to see how I'm doing at school. I'm a grown ass woman and they still treat me like a child."

Carrie smiled. "It's just their way of saying they love you." She sipped her water again.

"No," corrected Rhonda. "It's their way of instilling Jewish guilt."

Her lunch companion cocked her head surprise. "I didn't know you were Jewish!"

Rhonda reached over and stroked Carrie's gold cross with her fingers before withdrawing. "From my Dad's side." She explained. "My mother was southern Baptist, then met my Dad and converted to Judaism. It caused some family drama for a while but everyone got over it." She stared at Carrie. "What about your family or Liz's? Since I've know you two, you gals never mentioned where you're from."

Carrie lowered her water glass back to table. She inhaled before coming up with a simple lie that she had used many times before. "Liz and I are orphans." She stated with a depressing tone in her voice.

Her bestie's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry." Rhonda stammered. "I didn't mean to get too personal. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll drop the subject."

Carrie shook her head. "No, it's okay." She reassured her. "Liz and my parents died when we were really young." She began. Again, this was an elaborate lie but a necessary one. How does one explain to another that she murdered her fanatical mother with her psychic powers while her companion's family was killed by a corrupt underground group known as The Shop? How does one even reveal to a total stranger that the two of them have been on the run from the law ever since? How does one even begin to make another understand the fear of always being watched? She doesn't. Instead, she creates a false identity and a fake life. "We were shuffled through the foster care system until we became adults and left to fend for ourselves in the real world. Me and Liz are the only family we have. Each other." Carrie finished.

Rhonda listened intently as a wave of guilt overtook her. "I apologize. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Carrie attempted a smile. "It's all right, Rhonda. You didn't know. Liz and I have been doing fine for years. We're good, I assure you."

Just at that moment, their handsome server began picking up their finished plates. Exotic and possibly Latin, Rhonda shot the attractive waiter a come-hither look.

"Is there anything else, I can get you ladies?" He asked them; although, his eyes were fixated on Rhonda.

"Just the check please," she said, trying to play it cool.

The waiter disappeared for a few minutes and returned with the bill. He set down next to the college student, nodded to her with a wink, and vanished back into the café kitchen.

Rhonda's eyes glanced down at the credit card slip.

"Oh, hellooo!"

"What is it?" Carrie asked.

Her lunch partner giggled. "He jotted down his phone number!" Whipping out her phone, Rhonda took down his information on her contact menu.

Carrie laughed. "I hope you're leaving him a big tip!"

Rhonda winked in reply. "I hope he has a big tip."

"Rhonda!" Carrie gasped at friend's audaciousness.

"What?" Rhonda clucked. "I'm single!" She raised her brows. "Franny, you got a man!" She paused at her error. "Well, a wo-man! Me, I'm thirsty! Can you blame me?"

Carrie laughed again. Rhonda payed their bill, along with a nice tip and headed back to the bookstore.

It was certainly going to be an interesting day.

* * *

 _Alexie Elms Apartment Complex_

With her feet aching and her body tired, Carrie arrived home exactly at eight in the evening ready for a hot shower and hot meal. She wondered what Charlie was cooking for dinner tonight. She turned the key to the front door, slid through, dropped off her handbag on to the floor, as she kicked off her shoes while she closed and locked the front entrance behind her.

The apartment was dimly lit as a row of scented candles led her into the path of the kitchen.

Charlene "Charlie" McGee stood in a red, silk robe as she set two plates down on their small dining table filled with something that smelled divine. Her long blonde hair that she currently had dyed a dark brunette fell across her back as her blue eyes smiled at Carrie to greet her.

"What's all this?" Carrie asked bewildered.

"Your birthday." Charlie grinned. She went inside their kitchen to grab an open bottle of wine and poured the contents into two separate glasses. She handed one to her girlfriend.

Carrie took a sip of the grape. She looked puzzled. "Wait, my birthday was three months ago."

"Your real birthday." Charlie corrected. "The one we didn't have time to celebrate but according to your fake birth certificate, your birthday is today!" She clinked Carrie's glass. "Cheers and Happy Birthday!"

Carrie always forgot all the important details from false social security numbers to fake birthdates that she and Charlie had to make up. Keeping up the charade from town to town, city to city certainly made it more difficult to keep up appearances each time. She constantly was concern she might slip up.

She watched Charlie cross to the dining table. "In celebration of your un-birthday, I stopped by your favorite Italian place in town and got you some carbonara pasta that you love so much."

"Figurati?" Carrie's mouth watered. She smiled at Charlie. "You are the greatest!"

Charlie slowly sauntered over to her. "No, you are." She slipped her arms around her girlfriend's neck and planted a kiss on her lips. The energy between them surged as Charlie withdrew. "Dinner later. Let's take this elsewhere first." She grabbed Carrie's hand and pulled her toward their bedroom. Their mouths connected again as they shared an even more intimate evening in celebration.

An hour of lovemaking transpired between them. Yet, their hunger called out to them. Turning back on the lights, the pair had a late dinner in front of the television screen as they wolfed down their pasta on the couch while sharing a glass of wine and listening to the endless political rhetoric being spewed on CNN.

Charlie, still in her silk robe, but with her dark hair in a ponytail slurped some of her carbonara while her lover, Carrie, wore her red hair in pigtails and put on an oversize college t-shirt and a pair of men's boxers. The two women enjoyed their meal as they chatted about their day.

"How's life as a grease monkey?" Carrie asked her lover as twirled some noodles on her plate.

"Same old," Charlie responded. "Plenty of male chauvinism at the garage. Men can't get it through their thick skulls that a woman can be a good auto mechanic like them. They even try to overcharge the female customers because they believe that women don't know that much about cars."

When arriving at Fort Lindell, Charlie took a job at one of the local auto garages. Her know-how of cars really impressed the owner that he gave her a huge increase in pay for all the repeat business she brought in. This didn't sit well with her male counterparts who made homophobic and sexist comments in her direction. Still, she remained unfazed as she kept herself busy with a steady string of customers that appreciated her honest feedback.

"The boys still giving you grief because of their jealousies?" Carrie asked her lover.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "But I can handle them. I've been in tougher situations. Besides, I think it gets their goats when they have a lesbian mechanic who is outshining them. Thank God, my Dad was a car lover and taught me everything I know about engines and car parts!" She took a sip of wine. "Enough about me, how was your day?"

"Good." Carrie answered. "I mean I did have an asshole customer today but this cute guy defended me from him."

Her girlfriend was intrigued. "Cute guy, huh? Should I be afraid of a little competition?"

Carrie planted a playful peck to her lips. "Relax. Remember, our only look but no touching rule?"

Charlie kissed her back. "Of course, I was only playing." She giggled. "So, he's good lucking, I see?"

Carrie's lifted an eyebrow. "Don't be jealous. Besides, you have more experience in the guy department than I ever did. He happens be the new science professor at the university."

"Interesting," Charlie remarked. "But you flirted with him?"

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. I'm hopeless when it comes to flirting. You know me, Charlie. I'm the shy one. I'm the person that doesn't really do much of anything."

Charlie laughed. "Well, you learned to do a lot of things when you met me!"

Carrie playfully slapped her shoulder. Charlie winced. She listened as her red headed lover let out a sigh.

"What is it?"

"What?" Charlie could tell when Carrie was deep in thought.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

Nothing!"

Charlie didn't believe her. Finally, she confessed.

"Okay," she said as placed her nearly empty plate of pasta on the coffee table in front. "Charlie, we've been in Fort Lindell for a year now, right?"

"Yeah." Charlie was not sure where she was going with this.

"And we haven't had anyone chasing us?"

"Sure," said her dark-haired girlfriend. "We've been pretty lucky so far."

"I was thinking," Carrie started. "That I could start considering taking classes at the university…"

Charlie quickly put her wine glass and plate down next to her girlfriend's on the coffee table as well. Then she stood up. "Carrie, we've talked about this!"

"It wouldn't be a lot. Maybe one or two…"

Charlie shook her head. "No, Carrie. We're trying to keep a low profile. What if the Shop finds us? We're going to have to pack up and run again! We can't get too comfortable!"

"But the longest we've ever stayed anywhere was six months!" Carrie defended. "It's been a year. The Shop hasn't found us and I really don't think they will. I really think we're safe this time. Please, Charlie, I want to try get a real education since I've never had one. This could be my chance!"

"And then what happens if they do find us?" Charlie argued. "All that schooling goes to waste!"

"But I know I did something good in my life than simply learning things off a television screen," Carrie added. "I want to be a more knowledgeable and well-rounded individual. The Shop can't take that away from me!"

Charlie exhaled and really absorbed what her girlfriend was saying. Carrie deserved a real education and a real normal life. She never experienced it living with a religious, fanatical mother. She never experienced it when she was bullied and turned into the school outcast. She never experienced it while living on the run. This was her opportunity now. Something that was solely for her and she needed it to fulfill her own sense of self-worth. She sat down next to her on the couch.

"Okay," I said quietly. "I guess we can try this out."

Excitement exploded out of Carrie. She leaped forward and embraced her lover as they fell back on to the couch and cuddled.

"I'm so happy," she whispered to Charlie. She kissed her girlfriend's cheek. "I love you, Charlie McGee."

Carrie smiled as they held each other tight. "I love you, Carrie White."

They settled in the fabric of the furniture and allowed the atmosphere of calmness overtake them before selecting to let sleep take over their bodies.

It was truly a good day.


	3. Chapter 3

_10 Years Ago_

 _Chamberlain, Maine_

 _THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU! THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!_

Momma's words echoed in Carrie's ears. The foul aroma and the metallic taste of copper slipped into her mouth as she gasped at the sight in front of her. Her arms. Her hands. Her fingers. All completely drenched in crimson as droplets of scarlet poured down the top of forehead, down her cheeks, and soaked against the silk fabric of her homemade prom dress that now bunched up around her body. Shock shot through her skin, rendering her speechless as she quickly glanced down to see her date, Tommy Ross, lying motionless near her on the gym stage with a deep, bloody gash across his head from the fallen, rusty bucket that had been attached to the ceiling. Instantly, she knew he was dead.

"Carrie…"

Still frozen in place, she recognized the voice. Coach Desjardin slowly approached her. Was she offering comfort? Support? She was the one that convinced her to try to be more outgoing. She had hoped to win the approval and support of her peers. She had hoped to be finally accepted. They even voted her Prom Queen. Carrie played her cards right. She followed the rules and look what happened. They were still cruel. Still heartless. They did not care about her; otherwise, they would not have dropped animal blood on her. Anger bubbled up inside of her.

"Carrie…"

Coach Desjardin reached out her hand. Carrie refused to budge. Instead, she listened to the commotion stirring. A snicker. A giggle. Through the stinging of the red liquid burning her eyes, she saw them. All of them. The jocks. The cheerleaders. The popular crowd. The nerds. The band geeks. The outcasts. They were all laughing. Cackling even at her misfortune.

 _PLUG IT UP! PLUG IT UP!_

 _FREAK! WEIRDO! DUMB BITCH!_

 _CREEPY CARRIE! CREEPY CARRIE!_

The chanting swelled. It would not stop. The faces mocking her, treating her as worthless. Even Coach Desjardin blended into the mix with a bit of smile and a snicker. And she was supposed to be her friend.

It was all too much. Why won't they leave her alone? The anger spilled over. She wanted them to hurt like they always hurt her. She wanted them to feel her pain. She wanted them to pay.

 _God has seen your sinning. Pray for your salvation. Save yourself from damnation…_

She could not, would not pray for them any longer. God had seen their sins and it was now their time to burn for them. The rage was building up inside her. She could feel it rise to the top and she knew she had to let it out. She screamed and let all fury release until there was nothing left.

Then she blacked out.

 _The White Residence_

Flashbacks appeared on and off as Carrie washed the last remaining remnants of animal blood from her body. She did not remember much of tonight nor how she arrived at her house by midnight but all she could recall was the screams of her classmates and the smell of fire filling the school and the gymnasium.

Her recollection was vague, almost like a bad nightmare, but she sensed the fading images of all the prom attendees swallowed up in a massive blaze, bodies piled everywhere, and her school reduced to nothing but rubble and ash.

Then there was the town itself. Chamberlain hit with a string of bizarre natural disasters that turned the half the area into almost nothingness. However, it was the visual of remembering her biggest tormenter, Chris Hargensen, and her boyfriend Billy attempting to run her over on the road that brought the biggest satisfaction. Their Chevrolet Cavalier gunned it but Billy lost control causing the car to overturn and crash off a steep embankment. Deep inside, Carrie had wished it to happen and it did.

Even still, she felt no remorse, no sympathy for her actions.

Now she was home, at the very place that had been her safe haven-her sanctuary. She scrubbed off all the red stains from her pale skin, only to see that the bathtub had been stained with a ring of blood. _I'll clean it up tomorrow._ She told herself as she toweled off and put on a long flannel cotton nightgown. With her hair still wet, she brushed the stringy blonde strands with her fingers and headed out of the bathroom to greet her mother who had been right about everything.

"Momma?"

She called out to her as she started down the stairs. A sharp pain tore through her right shoulder blade as she slipped on a step and tumbled down until she struck the tile floor hard near the kitchen. Carrie's shoulder throbbed with pain as she clasped the stinging skin with her left hand, withdraw it, only to notice it streaked with red. She was bleeding.

"I should've killed myself when he put in me…"

Sprawled on the floor, Carrie looked up to her mother in a shabby nightgown brandishing a bloody butcher knife slowly making her way down the stairs.

"Your father wrestled with the devil as he did with Jacob," Margaret White whispered. "I sent him away but he came back with the whiskey on his breath and he took me!"

Carrie whimpered. "Momma…" She did not know what to make of this revelation. The difficult union that her mother refused to discuss about her birth father.

"I should've atoned!" Margaret continued. "But I LIKED it! I liked his filthy hands on me! But God punished the sinners for their crimes! It was fate that God chose death for him at that construction site! It was fate that planted your father's seed of sin inside me! And now the sin of lust never dies and I must set it right!"

She raised the bloody knife.

"FATHER, TAKE HER! CLEANSE AND PURIFY HER! WITH THE FIRE AND THE GLORY! AMEN!"

Margaret slashed at Carrie. The blade drew forward, nicked the skin of legs and arms, causing the poor girl to scamper away from the sharp weapon. Her mother had other ideas. She took a firm grasp of Carrie's ankles and pulled her close as she straddled the girl and prepared to do further damage with the knife.

"MOMMA NO!"

Carrie screamed and struggled but to no avail. Margaret White was prepared to purify her daughter at any cost. With her knife raised high, Margaret garnered her remaining strength to finish off her progeny. Carrie's head shifted to all the drawers and kitchen cabinets around the room. She only had once chance.

Focusing the willpower inside of her, she pulled every compartment opened, levitated every sharp object and kitchen tool she could think of from knives, to sharp peelers, and metallic appliances and shot them toward her mother. Margaret White flew backwards against the wall, arms and legs spread akimbo as she laid crucified against the plaster with each object and sharp instrument impaled her skin on every part of her body.

Carrie wept as got up off the floor to see her mother attempting to fight through her confines but only her daughter knew the truth of what was happening to her.

Margaret's weak heart became proof of that as Carrie listened carefully through each pulse.

"I'm sorry," Carrie apologized through her tears.

"You…wicked girl…" Margaret spat as a trickle of blood poured from her mouth. "You…have killed me…"

Through her sobs, Carrie raised her hand again and concentrated on her mother's weak heart. No more should she suffer. She pushed again her thoughts and slowly stopped Margaret's organ from beating. With one last breath, Margaret White released a final exhale and let go.

Carrie crawled over to mother, hugged her lifeless body, and fell to her knees.

"Momma…Momma…I'm sorry…"

More tears streaked down the young girl's face as she pulled Margaret off the wall, allowing her flesh to tear in the process, and allowed the corpse to fall on top of her wounded body. Adrenaline pumped through Carrie's veins as she dragged her mother into the prayer closet near the kitchen and pulled Margaret and herself inside. Now together, it was Carrie's turn to do the unthinkable.

 _God has seen my sinning. Mercy to God for my salvation. To repent, I offer my body to smite thee!_

Her eyes glanced at the ceiling and the entire foundation surrounding the house.

 _I pray to heaven for my wicked soul!_

The entire White residence shook until the tremors made the infrastructure loosen. From the plaster, the wood, brick, and concrete, it finally receded and deteriorated. Carrie continued to push until everything broke apart.

The only thing she could do now was wait until everything collapsed on top of her.

Sirens roared across the town. Smoked filled the night sky making the heavens even more gloomier and darker than before. EMTS, fire engines, and police rushed to the burning high school as other available crews tried to control the blaze of other wildfires that decimated the nearby area.

Too preoccupied with several town emergencies, the residents failed to notice a group of mysterious vehicles parked near the now demolished house of Margaret and Carrie White just minutes after it collapsed. Out of the cars, a group of strange figures in hazmat suits descended upon the rubble.

"Agent S-78," one of the figures announced through his walkie talkie. "We were able to clear an opening through the wreckage. However, only one can fit inside the entrance. It's going to be tight."

"That is fine," responded the person known as S-78. "We only need one person to get through. This is my mission. I'm going down."

The figure hesitated. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"We'll soon find out," S-78 answered. An enigmatic figure also dressed in a hazmat suit got out of the driver's side of a van and headed toward the back. The rear doors were open to reveal a gray body bag with something already inside. It took a few attempts but the figure successful dragged the object from the vehicle to the steep opening of the demolished house and slowly made its way down.

"You got fifteen minutes." The figure's partner explained. The companion nodded and slipped slowly through the tight crevice, lodging a foot through several wooden planks, brick and concrete that had wedged itself into the tiny entrance. Even though getting through the small opening might had been successful. Dragging a body bag through the same path made it even more difficult.

The figure ducked through some planks and crawled over a few bricks until the person came cross two large lumps in the shadowy darkness that could barely be seen through the many holes of the collapsed house that let in just a small sliver of moonlight. Luckily, the person had a large flashlight and switched the object on.

A beam ran across the first object. Large and covered in dust, the figure easily identified whom the person was. Margaret White. However, she was barely recognizable. Small, sharp objects protruded from her arms and chest and her face had been covered in dry blood from the house caving in on her. Lifeless and cold, she laid next to her another lump beside her. This one was smaller and not as robust but the Agent S-78 easily identified the other female.

The beam of the flashlight drifted to the second object. The hazmat figure stared at the person. Dust, debris, wood, and stone surrounded her barely touching her innocent face. Her blond hair swam in tendrils around her as her body levitated from the ground while each object floated next to her but with no strings attached, as if magic had instructed them not to move. Carrie White looked ethereal like some sleeping angel and the mystery person removed a glove to touch the tiny vein on her neck.

"S-78 here!" The figure declared on the walkie talkie. "I found her! She's alive!"

"Is she breathing?" The other person at the other end of line asked.

"I felt a pulse." S-78 responded. "Will complete the transfer." The figure put down the walkie, crawled over to the body bag, and unzipped it. The corpse of a young blonde girl whose face had been destroyed spilled out. S-78 dragged the body toward Margaret White and placed her next to Carrie's mother. Then the body bag was slipped over the unmoving Carrie White until she was completely zipped up inside the cloth fabric in preparation for transport.

Within a few minutes, the hazmat figure successfully carried the body of Carrie White out of the wreckage and into an awaiting van. Once inside the vehicle, the rear doors were locked and the mystery person got into the driver's side. Signals were made, communication was finalized as everyone returned to their cars and drove off into the night.

The hazmat person pulled on to the main road but not before taking out a small device from the pocket of the suit. With a simple push of button, Margaret and Carrie White's house exploded. However, the town of Chamberlaine, Maine could care less about the incident. They were too busy putting out fires all across the area from the destroyed mess of the high school to the local resident establishments engulfed in flames.

As far as they were concerned, Carrie White had caused all this trouble in the town. She was the one responsible. All because the locals treated a young girl cruelly and without compassion.

Call it what you will. Karmic retribution, but for a place like Chamberlaine, the sleepy town would never be the same again.

 _Manchester, Vermont_

 _Emerald Lakes Park_

Soft fibers of cotton slipped through her fingers. Carrie inhaled the sweet scent of clean sheets and the wonderful aroma of pine and peacefulness. Feeling cramped and fatigued, she stretched out her arms that had been covered in a blue pajama top until her hands stroked the carved wooden headboard to make her realize that something seemed off about her bedroom. She glanced down for a second, realized that her old nightgown had been replaced with clean p-jays and tried to make sense of what was happening to her. Bright light stung her eyes as she forced them open to see that her once clean white walls were now replaced with strange wooden planks and that her bed felt much comfortable than her old, musty, stained mattress.

She forced herself up, sitting in L-shaped position as she rubbed her eyes and took in her strange surroundings. The room was completely new and nothing like her former bedroom. There was a nightstand with a lamp, a dresser close to her bed while a table sat near the tiny kitchen with a stove, sink and fridge. Carrie swept her legs off the bed, forced to stand despite her weakened state and began pacing barefoot around the area until she got her bearings.

A few minutes of this and she felt fine enough to search for the bathroom in the corner of the room. Thankfully, she found it, used the toilet, and donned off her clothes to use the shower. To her surprise, Carrie noticed that the bathroom had been stocked with various toiletries from soap, shampoos, creams, feminine hygiene products to a toothbrush and toothpaste that she used to make herself presentable.

After showering, she grabbed a clean towel, already prepared for her, wrapped herself up and thoroughly examined herself in the mirror. Her eyes drifted to her arms that had tiny pimples of red which surprised her but the strangest of all was the small bump that she felt with her fingers behind her right shoulder. Her body did a 180 turn to showcase her back and she could see from the corner of her eye a tiny scar from where something sharp had drove itself into the spot.

She tried to recall what happened, saw Momma's face brandishing the knife, and gasped.

 _Momma! She tried to kill me!_

She remembered. She remembered her classmates dousing blood on her. She remembered wishing the school to be reduced to ash. She remembered wanting the buildings in the town to be destroyed. She remembered the laughing, the taunting, the fire and then the screams. She remembered all of it. She wanted it to happen. She wanted it because she had the power now to make them pay. She wouldn't let them hurt her again; rather, she would not let anyone for that matter. Including Momma.

Tears filled Carrie's eyes as she recalled how she used her power on her mother to make her stop. She succeeded and she killed her. However, she was supposed to die after committing such a sinful act of matricide. That is why she caused her house to collapse. It was supposed to work but how is it that she was still alive?

She wiped her tears, padded back into center of the room and pulled opened the dresser drawer. Inside, she found clean shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, socks and even Walmart packaged underwear neatly organized inside. She slipped on the undergarments along with a t-shirt and shorts and went through the rest of the contents of the dresser. Combs, brushes, hair accessories, along with clean linens and towels made up the rest as she pulled these out and examined them for later use. Next to the dresser, a pair of sneakers and sandals in her size rested on the floor. Carrie pulled some socks on and slipped into her sneakers as she researched the room further.

She started in the kitchen. Some soup cans rested on shelf over the sink and she pulled open the refrigerator door to see some microwave dinners, fresh fruit and produce inside along with bottles of water for her usage. A pot and a pan rested on the stove while some utensils and a few plates and cups were neatly stacked by the sink.

Carrie grabbed an apple from the fridge and a bottled water and slowly walked next to the nightstand where a duffle bag and backpack laid on top of the surface. She pulled the backpack by the straps, discovered that something was weighing it down and placed the item on to the bed. Unzipping the object, she found inside a box of hair coloring, a large manila envelope that contained various I. D.'s, social security cards, credit cards, bank cards, passports, all with a different names and information but containing her picture. She slipped the contents back into the backpack. Searching the other pockets, Carrie found another hidden area of the bag. She unzipped it and found an even smaller envelope.

Her fingers pulled open the contents. She felt paper. Lots and lots of paper. Fives, tens, twenties, hundreds. She counted the stack which totaled $3000.

 _Whoa! What is going on?_

She slipped the bills back inside the envelope and that is when she noticed the folded handwritten note.

 _Dear Carrie,_

 _I know all about you and I want to say that it is not your fault. This power you have is a gift. Use it if you have to in order to protect yourself. There are bad people coming after you so stay hidden and always be on the run. I rescued you because I need you to help find the others. Others like you with special gifts so that you can help fight these people. Enclosed are documents, credit cards, I. D.'s and money to help you remain on the run._

 _Use this cabin for a few days and then you must move. The longer you stay in one place, the sooner they will find you._

 _Don't let that happen!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _A Friend_

A friend? What friends did she have? More importantly, where was she exactly? She tossed the note on to the bed leaving the backpack containing money and documents on the mattress and headed toward the front door of the room.

Warm sunlight filled her face as she noticed herself standing on the front porch of what appeared to some wooden cabin in the woods. She walked down the steps to see a row of trees surrounding her and the chirping of birds and the sweet smell of pine flooding her nostrils. The air was crisp and clean and the quiet felt wondrous. She hiked a few steps into the brush only to feel nervous that she might get lost and headed back. Whomever had taken her from her home in Chamberlaine had purposefully wanted her isolated. Well, they succeeded.

She went around the corner of the house to find the cleared, dirt path that led up to an incline outside of the trees around her. Carrie followed the trail and walked approximately for five minutes while admiring the nearby foliage and natural beauty of the area, until she noticed an actual road at the very end of it. She stopped, watched a tiny car whiz by before hiding by a nearby bush to watch a large semi following right after the last vehicle plowing down the road unfazed by the hidden pathway that led up to her cabin.

Content with this revelation, Carrie headed back, finished consuming her apple, and explored the rest of the building. She went through every drawer and cabinet of the room to see what had been left behind. From used books, an old Bible, to extra clothing and canned food products, Carrie thanked her mysterious benefactor for being kind enough to keep her supplied. She pulled a trashy romance novel from the stack of used books, sprawled herself on to the bed, and began enjoying her newfound solitude.

Two weeks flew by fast. Carrie didn't really know what day of the week is as she took walks around the forest and around the cabin and took in the beautiful sounds and sights of nature. She spent this time gaining better control of her abilities as she learned she could lift even heavier objects with her mind from large tree branches on the ground to even bigger logs that had been left in the woods for decades. She even learned that she could push down even gigantic objects like tall trees which she toppled over like a stack of dominos with just simple thought in her mind. However, it would be an even greater discovery about her abilities that made her realize how special her powers were.

It was about third night that she decided to spruce up her chicken soup from a can with some vegetables from the fridge. While cutting a slice of tomato, the knife slipped, creating a deep gash on her right finger. Large amounts of blood dripped from the wound and Carrie scrambled to find something to clot it. She was about to rinse her finger through the sink when her eyes fixated on the cut. She concentrated for a bit, watched the crimson liquid drip continuously through the opening and then pushed at it with her mind. Slowly, like watching time revert backward, the blood retreated. Every drop, every ounce of redness, every bit of scarlet re-entered the wound until it filled up to completion. Next came the skin itself. The damaged epidermis resewn itself as if a piece of invisible thread consistently stitched up the opening. With a matter of seconds, the fresh wound had regenerated and healed leaving only a tiny scar on her finger.

Carrie rushed to the bathroom to compare wounds. She pulled down the shirt she was wearing to look at the scar on her right shoulder where Momma stabbed her with a knife. She then glanced at her finger. _Miraculous._ It was the best word to describe it as she realized just how fortunate her gift was.

At the end of her two weeks, Carrie wanted more. She knew she couldn't stay a hermit all her life and she knew people were hunting her. According to the letter, the person advised her to keep moving so she needed to but she had to first change her appearance. Thankfully, her benefactor left her the tools needed to go on the run.

Grabbing the hair coloring dye, she followed the instructions and watched in the bathroom as she cut off her blonde hair into a simple bob cut. Next came the hair dying, she mixed the concoction together, applied to her scalp and noticed her yellow strands turning a deep, dark brown. _Vanity is the Devil's sin._ She heard her mother's voice in her head. She ignored the remark and went to pack her things. Grabbing clothes, underwear, and all the necessary documents needed, Carrie stuffed them all in both the duffel bag and backpack and returned to the bathroom to shower and change. Choosing a simple t-shirt, cardigan, and jeans. She blow dried her hair until the dark brown strands looked as natural as possible and checked herself in the mirror one last time. Once she was ready, she inhaled and headed out.

She followed the trail that led to the main road and waited for a vehicle to pass by. Luckily, it was morning so she would be easy to spot. She spotted a pick-up heading down and gave the thumbs up signal.

Thankfully, the white pick-up stopped for her. Carrie approached the driver and saw that it was an older gentleman with a graying beard and wearing fishing gear.

"Where ya' heading?" He asked the young girl.

"Any place you're going to." Carrie smiled. She tried to read him to make sure he was not some old pervert that attacked defenseless women. Her instincts told her to trust him.

"Well, I'm going to Cleveland." He answered. "That's a bit a ride away from Vermont."

Vermont? So, that is where she is. "Cool, I could use the lift." She said. "Do you mind?"

"No problem," said the man. "Hop in."

Carrie tossed her bags into the back, got inside, and gazed through the passenger window as the truck drove down the road.

"So, got a name?" The driver asked her.

"Annie. Annie Staten." Carrie lied, using one of the many alias from her fake documents.

"Joseph Hill." The man replied. "Please to meet you." He extended his hand to her and together they shook. "Tell me, Annie, you're quite young to be out here alone. You're not running away from family, are you?"

Carrie slunk down and paused.

"Look. I know I'm getting personal but you don't have to answer. Are you in trouble or something? I'm sure I can get you help."

Carrie shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Well, we got all the time in the world," said Joseph. "Oh and if you're wondering if I'm some psycho killer. Don't. I got a granddaughter your age so you're safe with me. Plus, you look like a tough girl so nobody messes with you." He lifted his brows. "Unless, you're planning to rob and murder me, I'll let you know right now that I'll fight back."

His remark made her giggle. "Nah, Joseph. I pretty much could tell you weren't some crazy." She quickly devised an elaborate lie. "I just wanted to visit my grandfather's cabin one last time. You see he passed away and there was a falling out between my parents and him so I wasn't allowed to attend his funeral. I thought visiting the cabin one last time would give me a sense of closure. I came here with my boyfriend but he broke up with me and left me to fend for myself. I'm just trying to get back home."

Joseph frowned. "Ugh, men can be real assholes sometimes! I don't know why I'm constantly falling for them!"

Carrie was surprised by his statement. More so if not relieved. _He's gay!_

"Does that bother you?"

She didn't know what he meant.

"About what?" She asked.

"Me, being a homosexual?" He said bluntly.

"Nah! It's cool." She smiled. In fact, it was. She knew Momma never approved of homosexuality especially when they represented the greatest sin of all but again she wasn't Momma and she honestly could care less about someone's sexual orientation. She even knew a couple of her classmates who were identified as such and tormented by the jocks. She only hoped that none of them were a casualty of the prom incident.

"Well, Miss Annie." Joseph laughed. "This is going to be one hell of a road trip."

Carrie was certainly hoping so. She listened to his story of how he came out later in life after his wife died, how supportive his family was, and how he now was involved with a long distance companion who lived all the way here in Vermont.

"The world is changing, Annie." He declared. "Back in my day, we didn't talk so openly about it but more and more people are coming out and making it more acceptable."

Carrie nodded and stared blankly through her side window. She saw the Emerald Lakes Park sign and wondered who had rescued her from her demolished house, who had set her up in the cabin, and who was looking out for her welfare. She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice Joseph turning on the radio.

 _"It has been several weeks since the Black Prom Massacre in Chamberlaine, Maine. Authorities are piecing together what happened, calling it another school shooting tragedy similar to the events of Columbine and Santana High in California. From what information gathered, the motive was bullying where the alleged suspect identified as 18 year old Carrieta White burned down her school during a prom event killing everyone inside and continued to set fires all around the town. The suspect then returned to home where she allegedly murdered her mother Margaret White and set off some homemade bomb killing her and her mother inside. Today residents and supporters of nearby towns are preparing a candlelight vigil for all who died._

 _The disturbed girl..."_

Carrie quickly shut off the radio. "Sorry, I couldn't hear any more bad news."

Joseph nodded. "I don't blame ya. It seems the whole world is full of people who hurt. Now I'm not saying that this poor girl was in the right for starting a fire but no one deserves to be bullied. I can't imagine what the families are feeling right now."

 _Hatred. For me. Carrie White Burn in Hell!_ This is what they'll write on her tombstone. It is not like they didn't deserve it. Then again, neither did she.

The pick-up eventually made it along the main highway. What happens next was totally up to her.


	4. Chapter 4

_Fort Lindell_

 _Present Day_

 _Mickey's Auto Garage_

"All right, Mrs. Cavensham. I replaced the spark plugs and checked the radiator. Your car is now working fine!"

Charlene "Charlie" McGee nodded to the older woman in her early sixties who clutched her pearls and exhaled in relief. The homely, church-going woman shook Charlie's greased, stained hand not caring that she was getting a spot of oil on her pristine, floral dress.

"Oh thank you, Miss Lizzie!" Mrs. Cavensham exclaimed. Liz Harrington had been the alias Charlie was using. "I thought I would have to buy a whole new car and I'm on a fixed income! Even your coworker said I needed to replace the engine and that I was going to cost me a pretty penny!"

Charlie shook her head. "I apologize, Mrs. Cavensham. My coworker Rick must have misunderstood the diagnosis on your car. It was a simple tune-up." She handed the bill to the customer. "It's just our usual standard fee."

The old woman glanced at the final total and relaxed. "Oh thank goodness! This Rick person wanted to charge me a thousand for labor and engine replacement. At least, you're only billing me the right price for real honest work." She reached into her purse and paid Charlie in cash. Charlie rang her up and sent her customer on her merry little way. "I'll make sure to recommend you to all my friends and to my church group!"

Once again, Charlie nodded and watched as Mrs. Cavensham drove off happy as a clam and ready to send repeat business to the brunette mechanic. She wiped her dirty hands on to her dark overalls and joined her fellow coworkers, Leroy and Joel, who were organizing a shipment of parts.

"Is that the same ol' biddy that was here a week ago screaming and hollerin' about her car?" Leroy Tillman asked Charlie. Standing at 6'1 and sporting the physique of a bodybuilder the fifty-something African American man might display a rough appearance but had the heart of a teddy bear. Charlie often looked to him for guidance as a father figure.

"The very same one," she replied. "Luckily, I smoothed things over after fixing Rick's mistake."

Leroy laughed. "At least, she got someone who knows about cars. Rick should be lucky that he knows how to wipe his own behind half the time."

"That jackass should be the one to kiss that old biddy's ass!" Her coworker Joel Epstein added. Compared to Leroy, Joel tall and lanky and sported a Star of David tattoo on his forearm that represented his Jewish faith. Charlie thought this was funny especially when his religion frowned upon body ink. "Figures Rick would fuck up another client's car." He noted.

The person the trio was referring to was Rick Addison, a short, stubby mechanic with thinning hair that their boss Salvador "Sal" Mickey hired six months ago. Since his employment, their coworker had been making constant errors which the auto crew had to continuously correct. This was getting tiresome. It now had gotten to point that Leroy and Joel began complaining to their employer of Rick's shortcomings.

"Speaking of which," Charlie remarked. "Where is Rick?" It was not like she missed his company. In fact, she hated his presence but she pretended to be not affected by it for professional reasons. "I haven't seen him today."

Joel smirked. "Oh he's here, Liz." He let out a sinister giggle. "Sal pulled him into his office the moment he clocked in."

"Uh-oh." She knew the drill. Whenever Sal pulled one of his employees into his office, it meant something big was going down.

"Can you blame him?" Leroy chimed in. "I mean it was only a matter of time before Rick's fuck-ups were going to get back to the bossman."

Suddenly, Sal's door flew opened as a barrage of shouting vibrated through the entrance.

"THAT'S IT, RICK! I GAVE YOU PLENTY OF CHANCES BUT YOUR SCREW-UPS ARE COSTING ME MONEY!"

Charlie never heard Sal so enraged but from the tone drifting from the doorway, she knew he was furious.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE MY IN-LAW! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE MY WIFE'S LOSER BROTHER DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN FUCK WITH MY BUSINESS!"

"But it's not my fault!" Rick defended. Unlike Sal's booming voice, Rick's seemed like a kitten purring than a barking guard dog. "That old bag was the one who started it!"

"THAT OLD BAG IS THE MAYOR'S SISTER! SHE HAS CONNECTIONS TO THIS COMMUNITY AND HER FRIENDS ARE MY REGULARS! YOU TRIED TO SWINDLE HER BY CLAIMING SHE NEEDED A COMPLETE ENGINE CHANGE!"

"She might need it in a couple years. Who knows…"

"SHE DIDN'T NEED ONE NOW! THE FACT IS YOU TRIED TO PULL A SCAM AND THAT IS THE REASON YOU SERVED PRISON TIME FOR FRAUD IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"Hey, Sal. I'm just trying to bring you some extra money in. How was I to know the old broad wouldn't take my suggestion?"

"I'M DOING FINE RUNNING A HONEST BUSINESS! MY THREE MECHANICS BRING IN PLENTY OF REPEAT CUSTOMERS BY WORKING HARD AND NOT CUTTING CORNERS!"

"You mean that dyke, the coon, and the hymie?"

"THAT'S IT! YOUR ASS IS FIRED!"

"You can't fire me! I'll tell Allison!"

"GO AHEAD! I'LL MAKE A CALL TO YOUR PROBATION OFFICER FOR COMMITTING FRAUD AGAIN! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I BEAT YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE PEN!"

A short, thinning haired man popped out of the office. Rick looked frightened as Leroy, Joel and even Charlie approached him with anger in their eyes. Surprisingly, the short man did not cower.

"Care to say those shitty words again, punk?" Leroy challenged the tiny man.

Joel stepped in. "Let me go first, Leroy. I'm going to shove a menorah so far up his ass that he'll be lit for eight days straight!"

Charlie folded her arms. "Boys, boys." She said calmly and rationally. "We want to be professional and not display any violence in the workplace." She winked at Leroy and Joel. "Let's be gentlemanly and allow a lady to land the first punch."

The two coworkers backed away as she tightened her fist, swung at Rick, and landed a blow to his cheek that caused him to topple to the ground. Leroy and Joel applauded her efforts.

"You filthy carpet muncher!" Rick spat as he massaged his bruised cheek. He addressed the other two mechanics and directed his anger towards them. "Go figure you'd get a girl to fight your battles!" He quickly got up, clenched his fist and tried to return the favor to Charlie. She was ready for him.

Her eyes concentrated on his skin. She found soft spot just at the base of the knuckle to where the rest of Rick's fingers flexed inwardly. She watched, focused on the epidermal layer starting to bubble, the small connected arteries heat up and boil to the point that it reached the surface and turned his entire skin red. His flesh felt like it was melting away. In truth, it was as the excruciating pain flayed across the top of his hand, down to his stubby fingers and across his forearm. Rick screamed as he clutched his wounded limb and began racing away from the garage.

"My arm! My arm!" He squealed. "It's on fire!"

Leroy and Joel watched as smoke emitted from Rick's body, unsure and unaware of what was happening. They looked on as their coworker quickly climbed into his truck, screaming in pain, and drove off down the road, hopefully, to the nearest hospital.

"Man, that was freaky." Leroy remarked.

Joel agreed. "Yeah, it was like his arm caught on fire." He turned to Charlie. "Did you see anything, Liz?"

Charlie shook her head. "Nope. I think when I decked him, he must've put his hand near some of the chemicals. You know how clumsy Rick is." The two men bought her story. Plus, they really did not like Rick so it seemed plausible.

Everyone returned to their duties as their boss Sal came strolling out of his office. A man in his sixties with a graying hair, a mustache, and sporting a beer gut, their owner and employer greeted his fellow mechanics.

"As you know," he started calmly unlike his rant earlier. "I had to let Rick go. It wasn't going to work out."

"What about your wife, Allison?" Charlie boldly questioned. "Is she going to be pissed that you fired her brother?"

"She'll get over it." Sal declared. "I'm done doing favors for family. It's my business and what I say goes! Now let's get back to work. I got a business run."

Leroy and Joel gave their boss the thumbs up as Sal headed back into his office. The two men returned to restocking their shelves just as a black SUV drove into the garage. Charlie observed park into the garage, letting out a zoftig, gothic looking girl dressed in a black dress, fishnets, and wearing a green military jacket and combat boots from the driver's seat. She walked up to Charlie and greeted her.

"Liz, right?"

Charlie nodded.

"Hi," said the strange girl. "One of my friends recommended you. You see, my truck has been acting up so I was hoping you could look at it?"

Charlie agreed. She pop opened the hood to assess the problem. It took about ten minutes for Charlie to make a diagnosis to notice that nothing was wrong.

"Everything looks in tip top shape, Miss…"

"Jane. Jane Delano." The teenager answered.

"Well Jane," Charlie replied. "It looks like there isn't anything wrong. Your truck is running just fine."

Jane observed Leroy and Joel deep in conversation on the either side of the garage before proceeding to lean in for a whisper. "Actually, I'm not here for that. I know who are you, Charlie McGee."

Taken aback, Charlie stuttered. "I…I…I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Liz Harrington."

Two dark cars pulled into the driveway of the garage, catching Charlie off-guard. A gentleman in a suit got out of one while two also impeccably dressed got out of the other. Ignoring Jane, Charlie shifted her attention to the three new potential customers.

Jane pushed the issue. "No, you're Charlie McGee. I know you can do things. I know you can start fires in your head!"

Charlie gulped. She refused to respond to her statement. "I think you better leave. I've got customers to attend to." She ignored Jane's pleas as she returned her attention to the three men. "Hi, how can I help you?"

The taller of the three spoke first. "Are you Liz Harrington?"

"Yes…"

The words were cut off the moment Charlie felt a sharp pin prick on her shoulder. She glanced down to see a small needle dart protruding from her skin. Her head started to spin as her legs gave way and she tumbled to the ground unconscious.

Jane saw the tall man clutching a pistol and gasped. The other two reached into their pockets making her aware they were armed and dangerous. Jane darted toward the corner of the garage and hid for cover near a parked car while Leroy and Joel came rushing out the moment they saw Charlie collapse.

"What the hell?" Joel shouted.

Jane heard a muzzled pop as Joel toppled to the ground. Blood dripped to the floor as she peered over the side of the car to see all three men holding guns with long cylinders at the end. _Silencers!_

"Shit!"

Leroy ran toward his car but one of the suited men aimed his pistol at him and fired several rounds into his back. Instantly, the hulking man fell to the ground dead from several gunshot wounds.

Upon hearing the commotion, Sal made the mistake of coming out of his office. The leader of the group fired a few rounds into the bossman's chest, tossing him backward against the open doorway of his office. Jane watched helplessly as two of the men picked up Charlie underneath both arms and slowly carried her to one of their parked cars while their leader suddenly changed the cylinder of his silencer and marched slowly toward her hiding place.

"Jane Delano."

The man taunted her.

"You've been quite a thorn in The Shop's side. I'm afraid we can't have any witnesses."

His wicked grin flashed as the scared teenager looked for any escape route. The garage had none as the group's leader raised his pistol and aimed it at her. She swallowed hard, shut her eyes and waited for the worst to come.

Loud explosions echoed throughout the building. With her eyes still closed, Jane covered her ears and knelt to the ground as a series of bangs vibrated throughout the garage. Glass shattered. Concrete walls shook and the clinking of metal casings hitting the ground began to fade out. Within a few minutes, all was quiet as she heard the tap of heels on the pavement and slowly opened her eyes, uncovered her ears to see a flash of a pressed ivory pant leg and beige sweater staring back at her.

There standing in a middle of a pool of blood that originated from the three dead suited bodies stood a silver blonde woman in her fifties looking ethereal and beautiful as she lowered an artillery rival to her side. She offered the teenager a friendly smile.

"It's good to see you again, my little Nikita."

The Russian dialect seemed all too familiar. Her pet name "Nikita" always made her feel special. Tears filled her eyes as Jane rushed to the woman and embraced her.

"Svetlana," Jane whimpered. "Wh…what are you doing here?"

The Russian Svetlana rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. Jane's former nanny always knew how to comfort her charge.

"I came to rescue you before The Shop came, Jane." Svetlana explained. "I guess I was too late."

Jane looked around room to see the bloodied bodies of the mechanics and the suited operatives creating a pool of scarlet on to the concrete floor. She realized that her former nanny had been the one who fired the fatal rounds that killed her would-be assailants.

"You did this?" She asked Svetlana. "But how?" Then it hit her. She mentioned The Shop. "You know about The Shop?"

Svetlana nodded. "I'm an operative for the American government. I was sent here to ensure The Shop didn't kidnap Charlie McGee and Carrie White."

The realization suddenly struck Jane. "Oh my God! Charlie!"

Their eyes turned toward the unconscious woman lying next to the bloodied bodies of the two men who were intent on abducting her. Svetlana walked over to the sleeping woman to check her pulse.

"She is fine." She informed Jane. "She is only sedated. Thank goodness, the bullets didn't hit her." She signaled to the hacker. "Help me get her in the van."

Placing each of Charlie's arms aroundr their shoulders, the two women dragged her into an awaiting silver van that had been parked a block away. They laid Charlie into the back and got inside the vehicle with Svetlana taking the wheel.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked as they drove away from the auto shop massacre.

"To find Carrie White," said Svetlana bluntly. "Your little escapade with Sue Snell is going to get everyone killed once The Shop finds them."

Jane's brows raised. "You know about Sue Snell?"

"Da'," said her former nanny. "We've been keeping a close watch on your activities. We know The Shop has been tracking you after you assisted her in breaking out of that facility."

"Why didn't you come for me sooner?" Jane pushed. "You could've told me everything!"

Svetlana sighed. "It's complicated, Nikita. For now, you're going to have to trust me."

Jane reluctantly agreed but she still had her doubts.

* * *

 _Covers Bookstore_

 _One hour before_

"Why is it that none of you can find what I'm looking for?"

Mr. Loudmouth was at it again. This time he had cornered Rhonda at the counter and began berating her about a title that never existed.

"I SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS HERE AND I SHOULD BE TREATED WITH SOME RESPECT!"

 _Thank goodness, I'm not his whipping post this time._ Carrie thought to herself. She felt bad that her coworker had to bear the brunt of a customer's abuse but she knew that Rhonda could handle herself.

She peered over the shelf of the psychology section that she was stocking to see Rhonda ready to rage against this horrible man.

"Listen, buddy!" Rhonda began.

"I'M NOT YOUR BUDDY, BITCH!"

 _Oh! He did it now! No one calls Rhonda the B-word!_

Her coworker snapped. "That's it! I've had enough of you! My coworkers and I had to put up with your ranting and rampant abuse of our services! You obviously are compensating for the fact that your small stature or your inability to attract women gives you some sense of sadistic control and self-entitlement! Well guess what, buddy? In the end, you're still the same sniveling coward with a tiny penis who is going to die alone as a sorry ass excuse for a virgin!"

Mr. Loudmouth lost it. "THAT'S IT! GET ME YOUR MANAGER! I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU GET FIRED!"

"Gladly!" Rhonda snarled. "Then afterwards I can kick your ass from here to Timbuktu because I'll no longer work for the company! But I'll be happy leaving knowing that I gave Mr. Short-Short Man here a beatdown!"

The rude customer's eyes widened. Immediately, everyone from the employees to the rest of patrons inside Covers applauded. It looked like a scene from a reality television show.

Carrie muffled her laughter as she noticed the store manager Marty rushing down to diffuse the situation. Then someone cleared their throat behind her.

"Miss? I was wondering if you have _Blood and the Maiden_ by Sue Snell?"

Taken aback, Carrie remembered that title. It was the first memoir that her former classmate wrote about detailing the events of the Black Prom Massacre. Unlike other books covering the topic, the author wrote a sympathetic and compassionate portrayal of her as a bullied teen and victim instead of a troubled, psychopathic killer. Even still, public opinion only saw Carrie White as a murderer.

"I'm sorry but that book went out of print ten years ago." She informed the customer. "There might be some used copies online."

"Carrie."

The voice surprised her. She turned around to see a dark, curly haired woman in a hoodie and jeans looking nervous and disheveled. Dark bags set under stranger's eyes but even with age and no make-up, there was no mistaking who this person was.

 _Sue. Sue Snell._

"I'm sorry but you've got the wrong person." Carrie attempted to correct her. "My name is Francine."

Sue leaned in for whisper. "Look, I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm here to find you."

"Miss, you're mistaken." Carrie emphasized. "Now if you excuse me…" She began to walk away.

"I know what you can do!" Sue called to her. "It's not your fault! I don't blame you for what happened!"

She tried to forget what happened back in Chamberlain. She attempted to convince herself she was not the same person who caused the tragedy. She proceeded to walk further.

"Carrie, please!" Sue pleaded. "I know about The Shop!"

Carrie stopped dead in her tracks. That certainly got her attention. She shifted her attention to Sue.

"They got my daughter," Sue explained. "She's like you. Gifted. That's why I'm here. I need your help."

Marching toward Sue, Carrie grabbed her arm and pulled her toward a secluded corner of the shelf.

"What do you want?" She whispered to the distraught mother.

"Just to talk," responded Sue. "Is there some place private where we can do that?"

Carrie thought about it for a minute. She had one idea. "The café across the street. Meet me there in a few minutes."

Sue agreed. She waited for Carrie to release her arm so she could exit the store and walk over to their destination.

As Rhonda, Mr. Loudmouth, and the store manager tried to settle their dispute, Carrie quietly slipped away for a short lunch break. She was eager to hear what Sue Snell had to say.


	5. Chapter 5

_Juniper Blossom Café_

Carrie chose a secluded spot outside toward the corner where she and Sue could speak privately away from prying ears. Luckily, the restaurant was not crowded with only a few patrons enjoying the fresh air which included an old man reading his newspaper, a couple making goo-goo eyes at each other over their dessert, and a university student typing away on his laptop. Carrie ordered a blueberry muffin and latte for Sue while she sipped away at her chamomile tea.

"How's the muffin?" She asked her former classmate as her elbows touched the table. She stared at Sue Snell and tried to find numerous physical faults to make her feel better about herself. Surprisingly, she noticed very little despite the woman wearing no make-up or looking a bit haggard, but Sue still appeared as youthful as she did in high school. She could not fault her for that. _For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whomever humbles himself will be exalted._ She thought up the words her late mother ingrained in her even though Margaret White tended to take the Biblical teachings to an extreme. For the most part, Sue had not changed a bit as the pretty teenager.

"Good." Sue replied nervously as she picked at the pastry with her fingers. She downed her latte and set the cup back on to the table. "You look good, Carrie." She forced a smile. "Really good."

Sue had to admit that the ten years had been very kind to the once shy, awkward teenager. She remembered Carrie as this plain, slightly overweight girl who was ripe for ridicule in school. The once ugly duckling had now lost the baby fat, grew into her slender curves, wore cosmetics, and sported red hair that would obviously make all the "it" girls of their high school jealous. Instead, in her place sat across from her a beautiful swan with the face of an angel and the body of a siren.

"You too," replied Carrie. She lied. Her sixth sense told her something was off and could feel the apprehension emitting from the frazzled, dark curly haired woman. She inhaled for a bit and got down to business. Her question was blunt. "What do you want?"

Sue drank a little bit of her latte to clear her voice. She then leaned in to whisper. "I'm in trouble."

Carrie remained emotionless. "What kind of trouble?" She was determined to interrogate her. "Are you in trouble with the law? Do you want money?" Her voice grew even more serious. She had a reason to distrust people and a blast from the past did not help matters. "If you're looking to blackmail me, then you're wasting your time. I don't have anything of value to my name."

Sue's hands gripped the latte cup hard. Her head shook. "No. I'm not done anything criminal." She paused. "Like I told you, I'm in trouble. The Shop is after me!"

The moment Sue Snell mentioned The Shop, Carrie folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. She and Charlie thought they had eluded the villainous organization but now this strange woman from her past had come back to haunt her. She remained calm to get her questions answered.

"What do you know of The Shop?"

Sue swallowed hard. "I know they are this secret group of bad guys that hold people with certain gifts under lock and key. I know they are dangerous and not above kidnapping and killing people."

"And you know this, how?" Carrie remained skeptical.

Sue's hand reached out to touch Carrie's. "I know this because I was one of those people they abducted and imprisoned."

Carrie retracted her hand.

"I know all about you, Carrie. I know you have a gift. Psychic powers. Look, I don't blame you for what happened back in Chamberlain. The kids were cruel. I didn't understand it back then, but I do now. Everyone has a breaking point and you reached yours. What our classmates did was wrong and maybe they deserved it!"

Carrie glanced away to stare at some passing cars outside. "No one deserves it! Not even those shitty mean kids that tortured and bullied me! Look, I lost control and blacked out…I didn't mean for any of it to happen." The realization of what she was saying hit her. "Wait a minute, why am I telling you this?" She pushed her chair away from the table to get up. "I think what you're saying sounds crazy and I think coming here was a mistake…"

Sue's hands slammed the table. "My daughter has powers too!"

This loud outburst should have caught the attention of anyone around the vicinity or a passing bystander, but everyone had been too wrapped in their own businesses that they ignored the crazy woman ranting. Once again, Carrie calmly sat back down and pushed her chair back to the table.

"Care to explain what you mean?" She whispered to her lunch companion.

"My daughter Izzy, "explained Sue, "She has gifts, like you. She can see the future, like premonitions and she could travel outside her body, astral projection I think that is what they call it. She can do things, I swear!"

Carrie listened intently. Sue sighed and changed the topic.

"I knew something was off the night of the Black Prom. I could feel it. When Coach Desjardin threw me out of the gym, I managed to sneak a peek through the gym window. I saw what the kids did to you. I saw Chris Hargensen dump animal blood all over you after you won Prom Queen. I saw the bloody bucket fall out of the rafters and bash Tommy's head. I watched as they made fun of you and laughed at your misery. I couldn't believe how cold, heartless, and cruel our classmates had become."

"Cruel and heartless, yes." She agreed with Sue. "Deserving of death. No."

Her lunch companion sighed. "Perhaps not but I can't fault you for what came next." Sue's eyes darted downward. "I thought I was going crazy or that I was dreaming it all but then things became strange." She looked to Carrie. "Your eyes stared at nothing, unblinking, as if you were possessed by something dark and sinister. Suddenly, the room spun around with chairs and tables thrown about with nothing holding them up, bodies of people catapulted by an invisible force while a fire ignited out of nowhere and surrounded the gym. I watched in horror as a hundred bodies scrambled for safety only to be crushed, trampled, or burned in the frenzy. I tried to open the doors to let everyone out, but they remained mysteriously locked and all I can do was hear the screams of everyone being engulfed in flames!"

"And where was I in all of this?" Carrie questioned her.

"You were at the heart of the melee," Sue continued. "You were the puppet master somehow pulling the strings. I couldn't explain the scary, miraculous things you were doing but I knew I had to get out of the way before something terrible might make me the next target." She grabbed her latte and took another sip. "I watched as you somehow made the car that Chris and Billy Nolan were in suddenly crash and overturn and I secretly followed you as you literally destroyed the town on your way home. What I couldn't figure out was how you survived the collapse of your house after you destroyed it with you and your mother inside of it."

Carrie shrugged. "That I don't know. That whole night is a blur."

Sue drank her latte and nodded. "Pathological temporal displaced amnesia."

Carrie's head cocked at her answer.

"It's a rare, controversial neuro-behavioral disorder where the brain shuts off a major memory of a traumatic event, during which time, the victim might be involved in a negative action that he or she may not be aware of. In your case, the trauma of extreme bullying caused a catalyst for your brain to go into defense mode by using your abilities to cause destruction upon Chamberlain. It was an involuntary response which explains why you have severe memory loss of that night. Hence, you're not responsible for casualties of what happened."

Sue noticed Carrie's surprise at her answer. She smiled.

"I majored in psychology after my daughter was born. I then got my Masters and became a guidance counselor to help other troubled teens."

Scratching her head, Carrie appeared skeptical. She once again looked away and stared back at the bookstore across the street.

"You didn't know it," said Sue. "But I did my research. I considered everything surrounding the Black Prom. Thank God for the internet and the library archives. I found a connection with a drug called Lot 6 and how this secret company calling itself The Shop had been paying willing participants huge sums of money to be part of a drug research experiment. Your father, Richard White, was one test subject. He was mysteriously killed in a construction accident after you were born."

Carrie's eyes lit up. "You know about my father's accident?"

Sue nodded. "It turns out The Shop had been doing this in other small towns. They entice poor class folks the promise of big bucks if they join their little field research, inject them with Lot 6, and watch as many of them get sick or die as a result. Those that survive sometimes exhibit some sort of supernatural ability to which they abduct the patient and cover-up their missing disappearance."

"That doesn't explain the connection with my father's death," noted Carrie.

"I'm getting to that," said Sue. "It turned out that your father exhibited signs of low level psychic abilities. Clairvoyance. That is when a person touches an object and suddenly knows everything about that item from who touched it to whom it last encountered. Your father was a smart man and figured out what The Shop was doing and how Lot 6 affected him and other patients and threatened to go to the police with this information. Apparently, The Shop didn't like this and murdered your father. They made it look like an accident."

Carrie absorbed this new bit of information. "Momma always told me that he accidentally fell on the job. She wouldn't give the full details; instead, she made me accept this story as the truth."

"Then there's more," Sue continued. "Lot 6 patients carry a hereditary gene that gets passed on to some sort of ability to the offspring or descendant. Your powers are the result of your father's participation in the experiment while Izzy must've gotten her gifts from Tommy."

Carrie gasped. "Tommy? As in Tommy Ross? Your high school boyfriend?"

Sadly, Sue nodded. "After the incident with the Black Prom and your supposed death, it all became too much for me. I had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized for three months. There, I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter. I didn't think Tommy carried the Lot 6 gene until I learned later that his father participated in the same experiments as Richard White. After Izzy was born and began displaying very special gifts, I put two and two together that she was too was a progeny of Lot 6."

A comforting hand reached over to ease the distraught woman. Carrie held Sue's palm and smiled. The reassurance made her former classmate feel at ease.

"It's all right," she replied to Sue. Her voice emitted a sweetness of honey and compassion. Carrie's fingers squeezed gently and allowed her lunch companion a moment to cry.

Tears welled up around Sue's face. "You don't understand. The moment Izzy turned ten, her powers manifested even stronger. She'd get clear visions in her dreams of people dying that would come true. She'd project an image of herself into another room while her physical body would remain asleep in another. Eventually, The Shop found out about her and sent their goons to kidnap us. We've been held captive for six months before I was able to escape!"

Carrie quickly released her hand. "How do you find me?"

Sue wiped her face and gulped. "I have a friend who helped me. A hacker. She helped me find where you and your friend were hiding. She knows you're here with Charlie McGee!"

Suddenly, Carrie's face became pale. If Sue Snell and her hacker friend could find her and Charlie this easily, then that would mean that The Shop would soon be on their heels in no time. She quickly got up from the table.

"I'm sorry, Sue." She apologized. "But I can't help you. I have my own life to worry about."

In desperation, Sue reached over to stop her. "Wait, Carrie! You don't understand! You and Charlie are the only ones that can save my daughter! They still have Izzy! That is why she sent me to find you! You can help us!"

Carrie's hands pulled away. "Sorry, I can't!" She started to sprint across the street.

"Carrie! There is something else that you need to know! Sue called out to her.

Carrie barely got a few feet before she crashed into someone physically imposing and exuded an air of pure masculinity. She looked up to see Professor Paul Sandza's gorgeous eyes staring down at her. Though the man was quite handsome and filled out his dress shirt and slacks quite well, she had bigger issues to worry about.

"Whoa! Where's the fire?" He giggled as he released the young woman. He pointed back toward the table she shared with Sue and pulled up a nearby chair to join the duo. "Hope, I'm not interrupting anything?"

Acting as if everything was fine, Carrie played up the charade. "Oh, not at all." She grinned. "I was finishing my lunch with an old friend." She turned to Sue and made the introductions. "Professor Sandza, this is a former classmate of mine, Sue. Sue, Paul." Her head addressed them both to which the two shook hands and shared an introductory greeting.

"Please to meet you," Sue feigned a smile. "I'm in town just visiting Car…"

"Francine!" Carrie interrupted. Her eyes blinked a coded message to her. "You came to visit me, your old friend, Francine!"

Immediately, Sue understood her signal and played along. "Yes…uh…Francine!"

"That's awesome!" Paul laughed. "It's great to meet one of Franny's friends!"

"It sure is," lied Sue.

Paul slowly leaned in to whisper. "Especially when I know you are being watched, Miss Snell!"

His tone turned instantly serious.

With her face now in shock, Sue dropped the act. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"A friend," said Paul. He then addressed Carrie. "Just like I know Francine is your alias, Carrie White."

Carrie swallowed hard and said nothing. She prepared herself for an attack and steadied her mind to do what she needed to escape. Just one push and that would give her plenty of time to make her next step.

"Relax." Paul stated. He whispered even quieter. "I know you don't want to believe me but, trust me, I'm on your side."

Sue remained skeptical. "Why should we believe you?"

"Because," replied Paul. "The Shop is already here spying on you!"

The two women looked at each other in surprise. Out of nowhere, this total stranger made a revelation that shook them to the core. Paul put a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence as the three sat back down quietly and waited to see what would happen.

 _Carrie, Sue._

A voice echoed around them. Like a ghostly wail calling out to them, both ladies did a double turn to make sure they were not going crazy.

 _Don't be afraid. I'm like you, Carrie. I'm a Lot 6 child also. My power is telepathy. I can read minds and communicate with others through my thoughts. Without speaking, I want you to pretend we're having a nice lunch but talk to me with your inner voices. I can connect multiple conversations at one time._ Paul's tone sounded serious. He nodded to Sue. _Same with you too, Sue. I know about your daughter, Isabelle, and her gifts. I need you both to play along. The Shop is watching us._

Sue frowned. She let her mind do the talking. _Who are you? Can we trust you?_

 _My name is Agent Paul Sandza._ Paul answered in his head. _I'm with the covert special ops division of the Pentagon. We've been monitoring The Shop's activities for decades and have been working to put a stop to their organization. And yes, Miss Snell, you can trust me._

 _So, you're not really a college professor?_ Carrie asked in her mind. _It's all a ruse?_

Paul nodded. _I needed a front, so we could find you and Charlie McGee. Our intel tracked The Shop here to Fort Lindell. We had to get to you first before they did. They already made a move on Charlie's workplace._

 _Oh my God!_ Carrie's thoughts turned to worry. _Charlie! I must help her!_

 _Relax._ Paul reassured her. _I have another operative protecting her. I just got a text from my partner that both Jane Delano and your girlfriend have been rescued from The Shop's attack at the garage._

 _Girlfriend?_ Sue flinched. Her eyebrows shot up. _You and Charlie are a ...?_

 _Couple._ Carrie finished with a sigh in her head. _It's been ten years, Sue. People change and discover their true selves over time._

Sue shrugged her shoulders. _Hey, it's cool._ She smiled. _I think it's great you found someone. Consider me an ally._

Internally, Carrie appreciated her old classmate's support. She returned her gaze back to Paul. _You mentioned a Jane Delano as also being rescued. Who is that?_

Sue jumped in. _She's with me. She is the hacker friend that helped break me out The Shop facility. She was the one that helped me find you and Charlie._

 _And my partner has them both in a van heading this way to pick us up._ Paul added.

 _Hold on a minute!_ Carrie stated with skepticism. _How do we know that you're not working for The Shop?_

 _Because_ , started Paul, _the people sitting outside all around us? They're not customers. They're operatives for The Shop!_

Both women's mouths dropped.

 _Are you sure?_ Sue questioned.

 _Carrie,_ said Paul. _You can sense when something is off. That is part of your gift. Without making yourself conspicuous, I want you to really examine some of the people that are seated by you. Notice what is different about each of them._

A hand parted a strand of red hair from her face. Carrie quickly glanced at the old man reading the newspaper and read the headline on the front page. It concerned the passing of a tax increase for Fort Lindell that occurred yesterday. This appeared to be nothing new, except the lawmaking bill was announced two weeks prior. The old man seemed to be reading an old periodical. She suddenly began piecing together the errors all around her.

The loving couple? They had not touched their dessert and kept eyeing their phones strangely beneath their table. The college student on his laptop? The university sweatshirt he was wearing should've been a dead giveaway especially since the college mascot is an eagle and not an iron-on duck that could easily be seen on the shoulder sleeve. Paul Sandza was right. These were associates of The Shop.

 _What do we do?_ Carrie asked the agent with her mind.

Paul signaled to the two women with a simple nod. _Act normal. Pretend that lunch is over and we're saying our cordial goodbyes. Each of us will leave the table and go our separate ways. As soon as you're out of sight, quickly meet toward the end of the block across the street from the bookstore. A van will be here any minute to pick us up._

The trio agreed. Paul went first and stepped away from the table. As soon as Carrie and Sue began to walk in opposite directions, the four Shop associates quickly rose as well. Each of them reached into a hidden area of their clothing to draw their guns.

"Paul!" Sue screamed.

Instantly, Carrie drew upon her power and prepared to push the four Shop agents around the sidewalk. However, Paul waved his hand to her and glared at the quartet of enemies who had their pistols aimed at him.

Paul displayed a smirk. "Not this time." A very, mellow energy saturated the air. It rose like a strong breeze capturing a leaf and dropped it quickly as if that same gale had come and passed without warning. Each Shop agent felt it. Their eyes becoming heavyset. Their arms drooping. It finally gave way when their legs gave out and each of the four-dropped face first onto the pavement.

Sue and Carrie stared at the bodies sprawled unmoving on the concrete.

"Are they…?" Sue nervously wondered.

"Dead?" Paul answered. "No. Just sleeping." He grinned. "Did I mention that I can hypnotize people too?"

An explosion startled everyone as screams came rushing out the front doors of Covers. A few people ran outside the front doors of the bookshop, while Carrie and her friends hit the ground for cover.

Turning their attention across the way, they watched as a short, fat, balding man in glasses wearing a stained Hawaiian shirt and frayed khaki shorts fired several rounds into the air. Beneath his arm struggled an African American woman in a denim jacket and sporting a Covers nametag did Carrie recognize the person being held hostage.

"Rhonda!" She yelled toward her friend and coworker now being held hostage.

"STAY BACK!" Mr. Loudmouth threatened. He shifted his position and pushed the edge of the gun toward Rhonda's temple. He glared at Carrie and Sue. "TRY ANYTHING AND I'LL BLOW THIS BITCH'S BRAINS OUT!"

Putting her hands up, Carrie moved slowly to the man. Mr. Loudmouth was not having it.

"Franny…" Rhonda's mouth quivered. She could feel the pressure of the edge of the pistol to her face.

"I'M WARNING YOU!" Loudmouth shouted at Carrie who stopped dead in her tracks. "I MEAN IT! I'LL SPLATTER HER BRAINS EVERYWHERE!"

Agent Sandza pushed his mind into Rhonda's captor. _Sleep. Sleep. Sleep._ Nothing.

Loudmouth cackled. "Trying to control my mind, Sandza?" He shook Rhonda who whimpered. "Neural inhibitors! Courtesy of The Shop! They had them implanted. Prevents psychic freaks like you from doing one of your Jedi mind tricks!" He shifted his focus back to Carrie and then to Sue. "You two! Looks like The Shop is going to be very interested in you both! My colleagues should be here any minute! Enjoy your last taste of freedom, ladies! You belong to The Shop now!"

Carrie took a step forward again.

"I SAID STAY BACK BITCH!" He warned her. He now positioned the gun into Rhonda's cheek. "USE YOUR FUCKING POWERS AND I'LL PULL THE TRIGGER SO FAST, YOU'LL BE PICKING PIECES OF YOUR FRIEND'S FACE HERE!"

Rhonda's eyes welled with tears. "Franny…"

This caused Loudmouth to laugh even more. "Franny? Franny? Is that what she is calling herself now?" He taunted Rhonda. His voice purred in her ear. "Want to know the truth? Your friend, Franny there is a liar. Her real name is Carrie. Carrie White. And she's the biggest fucking freak on the planet!"

His words soaked in for a minute. Rhonda's head was spinning from what this crazy customer was telling her.

"Franny…I mean Carrie." Still confused, she tried to make sense off it all. "I don't understand."

"Simple," hissed Loudmouth. "Your friend is not only a grade-A bitch liar but she is a fucking freak with powers…"

The sound of screeching tires interrupted Loudmouth's speech. Too distracted by the gray van that was barreling down the street, he turned the gun away from Rhonda and aimed it toward the vehicle. His finger pulsed along the trigger when Carrie seized her opportunity. Focusing her power around Loudmouth and his captive, her mind shoved Rhonda to the ground as she managed to wrap an invisible clenched fist around the captor and lift him through the air. Then with enough force of a Mack Truck, she threw him at the thick, glass window at the front of Covers. Shards of splintered debris sliced and diced The Shop agent until nothing was left but a huge scarlet stained that soaked up the bookstore's carpet.

The gray van slowed down in front of the group as strange looking goth girl slid open the back door and directed Paul and his friends.

"Get in!"

Carrie could see an unconscious Charlie lying on the floor of the van, while an older silvery, blonde woman took control of the driver's seat. Sue immediately show her familiarity with the gothic teen and climbed into the van.

"It's good to see you, Jane!" She smiled at the stranger. Paul called shotgun and took the passenger's side next to Svetlana as Carrie assisted Rhonda into the vehicle. The shocked woman reluctantly joined their little posse but deep down she trusted her friend's judgement. Once inside, she instantly probed her coworker.

"Franny…er Carrie, whatever your name is!" She clucked. "What the hell is going on and who are all these people? More importantly, did some ghost just shove a guy through a glass window?"

Jane shut the back doors and signaled for Svetlana to drive off. A couple cross street in, Carrie attempted to answer her friend's questions.

"It's Carrie." The redheaded woman admitted. She gestured to a sleeping Charlie. "And Liz's real name is Charlene or Charlie McGee. We're on the run from some very bad people."

Rhonda swallowed. "Are these people called The Shop?"

"You've heard of it?" Paul chimed in from the front.

"Not really." Rhonda responded. "That fucker with the gun who kidnapped me kept mentioning it. I don't know what that meant."

Carrie sighed. "It means that good and evil exist in the world and the only way to stop the villains is by having superheroes save the day. And no, it wasn't a ghost that pushed your armed kidnapper. It was me!"

Her coworker flinched. "What do you mean it was you?"

She nodded. "It's true. I did it. I'm a superhero!"


	6. Chapter 6

With Svetlana at the wheel, she managed to pull through the rural roads of Fort Lindell until they reached the main highway.

"Looks like we've lost them," she noted. Her Russian dialect gave off an air of authority while the rest of the passengers sat in the back attempting to absorb everything that just happened. Riding shotgun next to her was Jane who tapped away on her laptop. The hacker wanted to ensure that they were indeed out of harm.

"I checked and no tracking signals within the vicinity," she remarked. "I think we're safe."

From the rear, Paul Sandza sighed. "Don't be too sure about that. The Shop's tech is quite advanced. They might notice us without us being aware." The covert government agent turned to a sleeping Charlie McGee whose head was placed in Sue Snell's lap. The former guidance counselor parted her hair and checked her pulse to make sure she was okay. "How she is doing?"

"Unconscious," said Sue. "Whatever drug they gave her put her out like a light."

"It's a powerful sedative." Paul added. "It prevents Lot 6 carriers from using their powers. She'll be out for at least another hour."

Carrie exhaled. "I guess I'm your only weapon then."

Paul shook his head. "Not the only one." He pointed to himself. "Psychic here too, remember?"

"Wait a minute!" Rhonda interrupted from the back. "You're telling me that you guys are some type of superheroes with powers and stuff?"

Carrie shifted her gaze to her friend. "Uh, yeah. I guess you can call it that."

"Listen, Franny…I mean Carrie or whatever your name is," Rhonda clucked. "I'll keep an open mind about all supernatural things like ghosts and mediums, but I don't buy into this superhero bullshit! Yeah, I was a little freaked by that wackjob holding a gun to my head, but you didn't fling him through a glass window! That's impossible! He probably fell or tripped…"

 _Oh, these powers are real. I'll assure you, Miss Walker."_

Rhonda's head spun around. "Who said that?" Paul's voice echoed around her.

 _I did._

She stared at Paul to see him smiling and his lips not moving.

 _It's called telepathy. I'm talking to you with my mind. Like I said, these powers are real. Watch._

He dug into his pocket, pulled a quarter and flung it at Carrie. The red-haired woman knew exactly what to do. Carrie concentrated on the coin and let it float in mid-air. Rhonda stared at it in shock as it suspended for a bit in front of her and darted around the inside of the van. After whizzing around the vehicle, it returned to its original position and quickly dropped into Carrie's hand.

"It's called telekinesis," she explained. "I can move things with my mind."

A surprised Rhonda nodded in agreement. "I can see that." She turned to a sleeping Charlie. "And Liz, I mean Charlie. What's her deal?"

"Pyrokinesis." Carrie responded. "That means she can…"

"Start fires in her head." Rhonda answered for her. Carrie was impressed. "I do my reading." Her eyebrows lifted. "I don't know whether to be shocked or frightened."

Carrie covered her hand with hers. "Don't be scared, Rhonda. We're still the same people." She paused. "Just different."

Rhonda pulled away. She pulled her knees in close and wrapped her arms legs as she sat. "Different doesn't bother me, Carrie. It's the lying that really upsets me. You and Liz…er Charlie kept this big thing from me. It's hard not to be a little pissed off."

"They had good reason to." Sue jumped in. She stroked Charlie's sleeping head. "My daughter has powers too. Anyone exposed to the Lot 6 drug gave them these strange abilities. Imagine what would happen if anyone found out about it. People would go after them. They would be locked up. There would be wars and people getting hurt. Sometimes keeping secrets are the only option."

Rhonda shrugged. "You mentioned this Lot 6 drug. Is it some illegal street thing like crack or something else? Plus, who are these people called The Shop you keep talking about?"

"Lot 6 is definitely a pharmaceutical drug," Paul chimed. "Not anyone can get it and not everyone gets powers from it. As for The Shop, they are the bad guys we're running from and the group we need to stop. It's more complicated than you realize."

"We're half an hour from the safehouse." Svetlana added. "We can stop there temporarily to rest and grab supplies."

Jane agreed. "So far no signal of The Shop following us." She doubled checked her laptop. "We should be safe."

"Good." Paul noted. "Perhaps we can discuss who and what The Shop truly is."

* * *

The van pulled into another rural road off the main entrance of the highway. Along the rough terrain of rocks and dirt, Svetlana veered through several steep pathways until they came to a cabin that appeared to be hidden among the trees. Parking by the front entrance, the group got out as they went inside to rest and grab a bite to eat.

Furnished with some cots, a kitchen, tables and chairs and meagerly stocked refrigerator, Svetlana and Jane made some sandwiches from the ingredients inside while they laid a sleeping Charlie in a cot nearby. Rhonda pulled a chair nearby as she bit into her turkey sandwich and sipped on her water bottle.

"So, what's your story?" She asked Sue who picked at her sandwich unable to eat. "How do you know Carrie and this Charlie person?"

Sue Snell sighed. "I don't now Charlie, personally. I just know of her."

"Sue and I went to school together." Carrie jumped in. "Back in Maine. Did you ever hear of the Black Prom Massacre ten years ago?"

"A little," said Rhonda. "I mean I was about 10 or 11 when it happened but we covered current events in school. They said it was listed as one of the worst school tragedies next to the Columbine shootings and Sandy Hook. Why?"

"What do you know of it?" Carrie questioned.

"Just that some disturbed teenage girl started a fire in the gym during a high school prom and kids were trapped inside." Rhonda answered. It suddenly dawned on her. Her eyes widened as she looked at her best friend. "Oh my God! That was you! You started the fire!"

She stood up from her chair, but Sue placed her hand on her arm to calm her down.

"It's not her fault." Sue reassured her. "Carrie had no control over her powers back then! If you only knew how horribly she was treated back then, from her bullies to her mother…" She stopped herself. "The fact is it was an accident. She had no idea what she was doing!"

Disbelief and distrust weighed heavily on a reluctant Rhonda. "Over a hundred seniors were killed that day!" She yelled at Carrie. "Don't you feel any remorse for what you did?"

Carrie exhaled. "I do." Her voice quieted a bit. "I live with that guilt every day. Part of me wanted revenge for all the torment my classmates did to me. The name calling. The pushing. The shoving. The obscene things they wrote on my locker. Pelting me with tampons when I got my first period to dumping animal blood on me at the prom, while they all laughed at me in my misery…"

"Wait," Rhonda stopped. "They dumped animal blood on you?"

"Pigs' blood." Sue corrected. "They failed to mention that in any of the news articles, didn't they? It's always psycho girl massacres kids at teenage prom. I found out my ex-best friend Chris Hargensen left a plot list of getting back at Carrie. She and her friends butchered some pigs at a nearby farm and planned to douse Carrie at the prom. The police conveniently failed to mention that to the public, so they can paint Carrie as a 'disturbed teenage girl'."

Carrie continued. "The point is the other half of me let it happen. The moment I felt caged and beaten down, I completely blacked out. It was like my body took control over my mind and a voice inside my head told me to release. So, I did. The next thing I know I was surrounded by fire and brimstone and coming home to my mother stabbing me with a knife and wishing for it all to end. I only recall bits and pieces, but I do remember wishing to die in my house and everything collapsing around me."

"But you did die." Sue added. "The police said they found your body among the rubble. No one could've survived your house collapsing."

"Not necessarily." Paul Sandza interrupted. "The reason why the town law enforcement discovered a body was because I planted it there."

The trio of women looked at the government agent in surprise. Paul continued.

"Somehow, your powers cocooned around you, creating a protective barrier," he explained. "It was like you were suspended by a state of animation. No debris touched you while you slept. This gave us time for my team to plant a decoy, so we could pull you out. We replaced a female cadaver with your similar height and build, planted fake dental imprints, and made the body look as close to matching your appearance. Since the wreckage would've battered and destroyed the body to make it unrecognizable, none of the town's police force would be able to tell it wasn't you. Obviously, the plan worked, and we got Carrie White to a safe location."

Carrie placed her hand to her mouth. "So that's how I ended up in that cabin in Vermont."

"Exactly," said Paul. "We wanted to make sure you were safe from the Shop."

"Okay," noted Rhonda in a fit of annoyance. "Let's say, I'll buy into this whole superpowers thing and this evil group called the Shop. How do we know you're involved with them? How can we trust you?"

Paul sighed. "Because the Shop ruined my life! They killed my brother and father!"

The group turned silent at the agent's admission. Paul rubbed his forehead as he gathered his thoughts.

"You wanted to know what the Shop was or is. It has a long history."

"Well, we have plenty of time to hear it." Rhonda clucked. "It's not like we can go anywhere when we have bad guys chasing us. Fess' up!"

His hands rubbed together as he pulled a chair close by, sat and began his story.

"Scientists believe that we use 100% of our brain power but, truthfully, it's more about 70 to 90 percent. What about the remaining 10%? What if that portion is connected to an undiscovered genetic anomaly that allows a small group of the population to perform superhuman feats?"

All eyes fixated on him now.

"Since the dawn of time, history has shown the superstitious belief of witchcraft, shamanism, and even demonic possession. What if I told you that none of that existed and that each of these situations were humans evolving into the next phase of their development. Darwin said it best concerning the survival of fittest due to natural selection. All of that came to fruition with the Nazis and Hitler."

Rhonda rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Please don't tell me you're going to spout some white supremacist bullshit because me and you are going to have a problem in a minute."

Paul grinned and raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't worry, Rhonda. I'm not going to go on a racist diatribe." He exhaled. "This is important because Hitler believed in creating the ultimate uber-man, a superman of sorts, which he experimented on the Jewish prisoners as well as his own men to achieve his goals. As we know, the Third Reich failed and after the scientists and doctors were tried for war crimes, all their documents and work was destroyed…except for one."

Their ears pricked up.

"A Nazi sympathizer and scientist named Steffan Kynuggar escaped trial and fled to South America, where he changed his named to Stefan Keeng and continued his experiments with the locals there. He managed to perfect a serum which enhanced psychic abilities called Los 60. Because this was the start of the Cold War, he began selling his formula to various countries at war from Cuba, Korea, and Russia and eventually establishing his own covert mercenary group called PSI and sold their services to the highest bidder. PSI became such a huge threat that all nations began to fear another coming of another world war."

Carrie scratched her head. "Obviously, that didn't happen, otherwise, we would have experienced World War III. What happened?"

"Los 60 was still experimental," he said. "The subjects given the serum didn't last more than a week without cerebral hemorrhaging and their internal organs shutting down. Keeng knew he had to ramp it up a notch and began selling PSI to the American government in exchange for diplomatic immunity. If he could get Los 60 to work, then he was in the clear and he decided to try it with America's involvement with Vietnam. With thousands of soldiers exposed to chemical and biological warfare like Agent Orange, Keeng subjected many soldiers to Los 60. A good majority of them died with the exception being my father, Peter Sandza. After Vietnam, my dad joined the CIA. What he didn't realize was that exposure to Los 60 genetically altered his DNA and made him a carrier of the Keeng gene, a mutation that passes superhuman abilities to his children. My older brother, Robin, was a carrier and so was I. PSI saw the potential of creating superhuman children and weaponizing them. They murdered Keeng, kidnapped Robin, and disappeared. My father chased after them."

"Why didn't they take you too?" Sue asked the agent. Her abrupt question appeared to have offended him. "I mean, why take only your brother, Robin and not you?"

Paul shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because my psychic abilities weren't that strong. PSI was in the business of creating weapons and a young boy who talks to other people in their heads isn't exactly that useful in a warzone. Robin, other the other hand, had immense gifts like Carrie. He had telekinesis, telepathy, and showed tremendous psychic skills. Sadly, it also got him, and Dad killed. PSI drove Robin to madness and he used his powers to murder both himself and our father. Unfortunately, PSI escaped capture, migrated to various parts of the world, and resurfaced under a new named called the Shop. They have been continuing their efforts to create humans with the Keeng gene through a newly revised version of the Los 60 serum called Lot 6. To combat them, the Pentagon recruited me into their undercover program and I've spent years trying to take down the Shop and their efforts."

This revelation deeply interested the ladies.

"Does Lot 6 kill all its subjects?" Sue wondered. She thought about Tommy and how he had passed the Keeng gene to their daughter.

"Surprisingly no," he answered. "Unlike the original Los 60 serum, which proved ineffective, the Shop discovered a way for the Lot 6 drug to genetically alter the patient's DNA without the subject realizing it." He turned to a sleeping Charlie McGee on the cot. "Charlie's parents became instant carriers of the Keeng gene after being exposed and reports suggested they had psychic abilities." He then shifted to Carrie. "However, Carrie's father showed no abilities but passed the gene on to her."

Carrie glanced down sheepishly. "I didn't know my father."

"You don't need to." Paul advised. "Our reports indicated that Lot 6 didn't give him any superhuman abilities. He struggled financially and needed to support his drinking habit. That is why he agreed to be a guinea pig for Lot 6 under the pretense of the Shop calling project 'medical research'. After he let you and your mother, his drinking didn't stop, and he would've died from alcohol poisoning eventually."

Carrie remained silent. She didn't like talking and thinking about her father.

Sue drew the attention toward her. "What about my daughter, Izzy, and her father, Tommy Ross? He wasn't psychic."

"He wasn't," he described. "But he was a carrier of the Keeng gene. I researched Tommy's father and his dad served in Vietnam. He too was exposed to Lot 6 and made him a carrier. Lot 6 is unpredictable. It can skip a generation. That is why your daughter Isabelle developed the Keeng gene."

Rhonda slapped her forehead. She could not believe all this information she was processing. "All right, I'm dealing with plenty of 411 here and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react to this. We've got tons of psychics, superheroes, a secret agent, and an evil organization hellbent on taking over the world." She glared at Jane and Svetlana across the room. "I want to know what's up with their story."

Jane looked up from her laptop. "Let me give you the five-minute synopsis. Me, spoiled rich kid and ignored by stuck-up parents. Raised by Russian nanny who turns out to be a secretive government operative working with Agent Paul there. Have expert hacking skills, found out about the Shop and now helping with the Cause. Yup, that pretty much sums everything up."

"Aren't you scared?" Rhonda asked the goth teenager. "I mean the Shop sounds like pretty serious business."

Jane did a snort. "At this point, what do I have to lose? My BFF is also a Lot 6 kid who went missing so I'm already on their hit list!"

Suddenly, Rhonda's face turned pale. "Oh my God! My parents! I forgot about them! The Shop might go after my family!"

"Relax," Svetlana cut her off. Her Russian dialect sounding quite confident. "The Shop knows very little about you. I doubt they would use your family as leverage. As far as they know, you're an innocent bystander in all of this, especially when one of their agents tried to use you as a random hostage."

"I don't know about that," Jane remarked with doubt. She turned her laptop around to showcase a video on an online newsfeed site. In the video from someone who shot it on their cellphone, it displayed a blurry vision of a crazed gunman waving a pistol at the crowd before shoving the anonymous face of Rhonda being shielded by the shadows of nearby objects within the area. In an instant, the faceless Rhonda hits the concrete while the gunman is whisked into the air and thrown into the glass panels of the bookstore. Screams and chaos can be heard nearby as the screech of tires is masked by running crowds and random people blocking the camera's view.

"It still proves nothing." Paul confirmed. "In that one-minute clip, they can't identify anyone so as far as I'm concerned, the Shop won't go after Rhonda's family."

This was not good enough for the twenty-one-year-old college student. Rhonda needed that extra reassurance.

"I just need a phone." She demanded. "To let them know I'm okay."

Svetlana handed hers. "Use mine. My phone has special software to make it untraceable. You have one minute."

Rhonda grabbed the device and began dialing. She had to make this quick.

" _Hi, Dad. It's me. Look, I know this is weird but don't believe what the news says. I'm fine."_

" _I can't tell you where I am. I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe."_

" _Look, I don't have much time but let Mom know I love you both."_

" _Once this is over, I'll call you but don't worry."_

" _I'm sorry, Dad. I got to go. Bye."_

She hated being cryptic, but she knew it was for the best. She handed the phone back to Svetlana.

"What now?" Rhonda asked.

"First, we need to get you to a different safehouse," advised Paul. "We can't have innocent civilians getting involved."

Putting her hands to her hips, Rhonda pouted. "Hold on! Now that I know everything, you can't keep me waiting somewhere! I want to help!"

"No," Paul said strongly. "It's too risky! You and Sue will…"

"Absolutely not!" Sue shouted. "My daughter is being held hostage by them and I'm not going to sit still and wait and do nothing! I'm coming too!"

"NO!" Paul yelled. "It is too dangerous! Svetlana is an experienced agent and former KGB operative! Carrie and Charlie are ultra level Keeng patients and Jane is an expert computer hacker! I need people on my team that can handle themselves without me worrying about anyone getting hurt!"

Taken aback, Carrie folded her arms. "What do you mean ultra-level Keeng patients? Exactly, what does that mean about Charlie and me?"

He stared at her. "It means that you and Charlie have immense abilities that when utilized to its maximum potential could bring about mass destruction! Most Lot 6 don't even have that much power. I'm classified as a Level 8 and even my telepathy has limitations. You and Charlie are living, breathing organisms of power!"

Carrie shook her head. "If you're saying that we might be able to destroy the world, then I assure you that is not going to happen. I'll always regret what happened at the Black Prom, but I won't ever let it happen again." She walked over to Rhonda and nodded to Sue. Taking Rhonda's hand, she signaled to Paul. "Rhonda and Sue are coming."

"But Carrie…" Paul protested.

"But nothing, Paul." She declared firmly. "You obviously need us. Otherwise, you wouldn't just bring two agents to handle this mission. From what I can guess, you can't rescue Sue's daughter alone and you need Charlie and me to help with stopping the Shop. If we're ultra-level-whateveryoucallit, then that means you need our abilities to assist you." She smiled at Sue and Rhonda. "We need the two of them. They help keep us sane and help us not lose control. They help us remember that we're human and, more importantly, they help us realize we are better people." She stood up to the agent. "If you want us, Paul, then you take all of us. All or nothing."

The operative paused for moment.

"She is right, Paul." Svetlana agreed. "Everyone serves a purpose to this team and we don't have the manpower to take down the Shop. We need all the help we can get."

"Fine!" Paul relented. "Just be aware we're treading on dangerous ground! This isn't going to be easy!"

Carrie grinned. "These things never are."

A quick stir came from the cot nearby. Charlie McGee mumbled as she turned and slowly opened her eyes. Still groggy from the tranquilizer, she shook her head and brushed her hair from her face.

"Wh…what happened?" She asked, recognizing Carrie who sat near the edge of her cot.

Leaning in, her girlfriend planted a kiss on her forehead. "You were asleep, Sleeping Beauty." Carrie giggled.

Charlie eyes darted around the room to see Rhonda and a sea of strangers. "Who are they?"

"Long story," said Carrie. "Just rest, you'll need it. I'll fill you in later."

Paul sighed. "Well, we're semi-immobile right now. We don't even know where to begin. The facility that Sue broke out from has been stripped and any traces of finding where the Shop might be located has not yielded any results."

"Not quite," Jane declared from her laptop. "I hacked into my father's account and a mysterious deposit has been made from an anonymous company that no one has ever heard of. A CY Corp. CY as in PSI or their newly formed name the Shop? Ring any bells?"

Intrigued, Paul walked over to Jane. "Can you trace where this company is located at?"

She tapped a few strokes on her keyboard. A name popped up which made Jane's skin turn cold.

"Holy shit!"

"What is it, Jane?" Paul wondered.

"It's my old private school." She remarked. "The one Jennifer disappeared from. Saint Pelikan!"


End file.
